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Rapidly growing levels of urbanization in Assam have increased the demand for infrastructure and housing, with the construction sector amplifying at a compound annual growth rate of 7.35% between 2011-12 and 2016-17. In India, more than 80% of emissions within this growing construction industry come from materials, for example, cement, steel, and bricks. Within the construction sector, the production of burnt bricks is among the most polluting both in terms of emissions and use of virgin resources. There is heavy reliance on the use of coal as the primary fuel due to its easy availability and low cost. As part of its detailed assessment of the brick sector in Assam, the Development Alternatives team conducted intensive studies of the brick kilns and coal consumption in red brick manufacturing in three regions of Assam – Guwahati, Silchar, and Dibrugarh. A study of the coal supply chain reveals many dire socio-economic impacts in regions from where these materials are sourced. In Guwahati, coal is mainly sourced from Salang in Meghalaya and Tinsukia in Assam. For Silchar, coal is procured from Meghalaya and Nagaland, both of which are at a similar distance. Dibrugarh, which is located about 150 km from Nagaland, primarily uses coal from various locations of Nagaland including Naginimora and Margherita. Brick kilns source their coal from traders at local coal depots who in turn procure the resource material directly from mines through e-auctions. Increasing regulations around coal mining in different Indian states cause high fluctuations in the price, quality, and availability of coal, leading to dependence on coal from farther-off regions. Besides adding significantly to a higher carbon footprint, this also increases the transportation and labour costs of raw material extraction, leading to a tendency to engage in illegal mining practices to drive down costs. Coal mining in Nagaland and Meghalaya often relies on child labour in a common illegal practice known as ‘rat-hole mining’. In this method, small children, owing to their small body structures and flexibility, are sent down to extract coal in vertical shafts of 3–4-feet diameter and up to 100–150-feet depth, despite the dangerous conditions and structural instability of these mines (Majaw, 2016). Since coal seams are very thin in Meghalaya, rat-hole mining is considered an economically viable method of coal extraction as compared to open cast mining. A higher percentage of youths is involved in this practice due to the potential to earn INR 500–800 per shift – a need further exacerbated by the lack of literacy and awareness in the regions, as well as lacking alternative livelihood.
Figure 1: One of the coal depots in
Guwahati, Assam.
Figure 2: Production of bricks in one of the brick kilns in Silcha, Taking note of these issues, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) temporarily banned rat-hole mining in 2014 (Government of Meghalaya, n.d.). In 2018, 19 miners lost their lives in a tragic coal mining accident. This prompted the Government of Meghalaya to insist on the revision of the NGT ban for legalizing coal mining so as to minimize further loss of lives and livelihoods (Agarwala, 2022). While states are in the process of legalizing coal mining practices as per the Supreme Court order of 2018, rat-hole mining is still active and widespread in the state (Zahan, 2021). This leads to reckless, unscientific, and deeply harmful coal mining practices that cause havoc to the local environment, ruining the scenic beauty and settlements while causing adverse impacts on the lives and livelihoods of the local youth. To address this situation, the state governments and regulatory authorities must adopt a holistic approach towards mining area development with strict controls on mining activities through licenses, leases, penalties, and actively provide actionable information on appropriate coal mining practices. This is essential to minimize the many unintended local as well as scattered social, economic and environmental impacts of mining activities while actively improving livelihood opportunities and awareness among local communities. (Business Standard, 2015).
References:
Mohak Gupta |
