Meghalaya Mining Disaster

The collapse of a coal mine in Meghalaya’s East Jaintia Hills, trapping at least 15 workers who were still missing and are feared dead, has thrown the spotlight on a procedure known as “rat-hole mining”. Although banned, it remains the prevalent procedure for coal mining in Meghalaya. A look at how rat-hole mining is carried out, and why it is dangerous:

What is Rat-hole Mining?

It involves digging of very small tunnels, usually only 3-4 feet high, which workers (often children) enter and extract coal. The rat-hole mining is broadly of two types. “In side-cutting procedure, narrow tunnels are dug on the ....