UPSC coal mining: surface vs underground types and illegal pilferage
All you need to know about Coal Mining for #UPSC: Coal Mining Types & Illegal Practices 1. Surface Mining (Open-Cast) • Used for shallow seams (<200 ft). • High recovery (~90%). Global Methods: • Strip Mining: Removing soil layers in strips (Area/Contour). • Open-Pit: Digging a large open crater. Illegal in India: Pilferage/Theft • Where: Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha. • What: Scavenging abandoned mines or digging unauthorized shallow pits. 2. Underground Mining • Used for deep seams (>200 ft). • Lower recovery (50–75%). Global Methods: • Room-and-Pillar: Leaving coal columns to support the roof. • Longwall: Mechanized shearing of long coal walls; highly efficient. Illegal in India: Rat-Hole Mining • Where: Meghalaya (Northeast). • What: Digging narrow, unsafe tunnels (3–4 ft high) for manual extraction. High risk of flooding/collapse. Save this post and do revise later👍