Coal mining became significantly important during the Industrial revolution between 1760 and 1840 when coal was used on a large scale to fuel stationary and locomotive engines and heat buildings.
Environmental degradation in India’s oldest coal mining belt leaves locals gasping for relief
by Aritra Bhattacharya on 9 March 2021
Decades of unabated coal mining can irreversibly change the character of an area and that is the story of Raniganj Coalfields, India’s oldest coalfield area spread over West Bengal and parts of Jharkhand.
Although mining started in this area in 1774, environmental degradation worsened when open-cast mines made their appearance 30 years ago. The area was even declared critically polluted by the Central Pollution Control Board during this period but nothing changed for the local people.
The opencast pits, which were once a lush forest, are backfilled after all the coal is extracted, but the locals including engineers who work in those mines are not very hopeful of trees growing back.