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A recent study reveals that coal mining has led to a 35% loss of native land cover in India’s central coal belt, highlighting the severe impact of coal extraction on the environment. Conducted by researchers from various institutes and published in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Science, the study examines how coal mining activities in three functional mines in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have altered land use over the past three decades, affecting forest cover, water bodies, and agricultural land.
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The Environmental Cost of Coal Mining
The study focuses on the Sohagpur and Jamua Kotma mines in Madhya Pradesh, and the Bishrampur mine in Chhattisgarh, covering a total area of 14,660 square kilometers. Between 1994 and 2022, coal mining reduced forest cover by 7.32% to 17.61%, shrank water bodies by 5.0% to 10%, and decreased agricultural land by 3% to 5%. The study relied on Landsat satellite data to track these changes.
Bishrampur, described by a government press release as a “benchmark for sustainable mining and responsible land reclamation,” saw the greatest loss of forest cover, decreasing by 38% compared to Sohagpur’s 34% and Jamuna & Kotma’s 22%. Although some reclamation efforts have been made, such as converting closed mine land into ecosystems of native plant species, the overall progress remains limited. The plantations established as part of compensatory afforestation efforts make up a very small proportion of the area lost to mining.
Regulatory Changes and Expansion of Coal Mining
Coal mining regulations have facilitated easier expansion of mining operations. In 2021, India’s Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change allowed mines to commence operations in non-forest sections of coal blocks even if full forest clearance was pending. In 2022, the Ministry further permitted mines to expand their production capacities from 40% to 50% without public consultations.
These regulatory shifts have allowed coal mines to expand rapidly, but restoration efforts have lagged. Although reclamation of mined land is mandated upon mine closure, implementation remains a significant challenge. According to Subodh K. Maiti, a professor of environmental engineering at the Indian School of Mines, current guidelines lack comprehensiveness in establishing a legal framework for the ecological restoration of mined land.
Vulnerability and Land Degradation
The researchers developed a Land Degradation Vulnerability Index, combining five other indices that measure different dimensions of land vulnerability, including soil, climate, terrain, land utilization, and natural resources. They found that expanding areas with moderate and steep slopes increase vulnerability to land degradation, with overburden from mining exacerbating water and wind erosion. The study also noted that mining makes land more susceptible to climatic anomalies like erratic rainfall, high evaporation, high temperatures, and low humidity.
“Native plants are removed during mining operations, and since native trees seldom reestablish themselves in the harsh conditions of mines, they are often replaced by grasses and invasive alien species, which offer less protection from erosion,” the study states. According to Tarun K. Thakur, the study’s lead author and head of the Department of Environmental Science at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, reducing the height and steepness of overburden and adding plantations can help stabilize the land and reduce its vulnerability.
“Native plants are removed during mining operations, and since native trees seldom reestablish themselves in the harsh conditions of mines, they are often replaced by grasses and invasive alien species, which offer less protection from erosion,” the study states. According to Tarun K. Thakur, the study’s lead author and head of the Department of Environmental Science at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, reducing the height and steepness of overburden and adding plantations can help stabilize the land and reduce its vulnerability.
Monitoring and the Future of Land Reclamation
Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries currently monitor the reclamation of 76 operational opencast mines using remote sensing and satellite imagery to assess the area under backfilling, plantation, water bodies, forest land, and agricultural land. However, the monitoring does not account for the species composition used in reclamation activities. The Ministry of Coal’s report on Greening Initiatives in Coal and Lignite PSUs, released in February, suggests that future reclamation could be conducted on 36,100.4 hectares of land, with additional plantations on 13,040 hectares.
Maiti emphasizes that land restoration efforts must go beyond merely planting fast-growing, exotic tree species. Instead, companies should focus on native species, document their growth patterns, and plant them accordingly. These efforts should aim to attract biodiversity, provide benefits to local communities, and ensure that the reclaimed ecosystems are closely monitored for sustainability and survivability.
While some progress has been made in reclaiming land from coal mining, much work remains to fully restore these areas. As India moves toward its goal of net-zero emissions by 2070, the reclamation and repurposing of mined land will be crucial to achieving a just transition away from coal. The challenge lies in creating comprehensive guidelines and a legal framework that supports the ecological restoration of land impacted by decades of coal extraction.
Lead image courtesy of Stafichukanatoly from Pixabay
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