Rat-Hole Mining
Environmental and Safety Dimensions
Rat-hole mining is a form of coal extraction involving narrow horizontal tunnels (rat-holes) dug by hand by workers who enter on all fours. Two variants exist: "side-cutting" (on hillsides) and "box-cutting" (open pits with deep vertical shafts into horizontal seams). The practice is entirely manual and violates all safety norms under the Mines Act, 1952.
- Mines Act, 1952: Governs safety, health, and working conditions in mines; mandates ventilation, shoring, emergency exits, and minimum worker age (18 years); rat-hole mining violates virtually every provision
- Environmental impacts: (a) Acid mine drainage — water reacting with coal creates sulphuric acid that contaminates rivers; the Kopili, Lukha, and Myntdu rivers in Meghalaya have recorded severe acidification; (b) Subsidence — hollow hills collapse, destroying farmland above; (c) Methane gas accumulation — explosion risk (the 2026 blast was dynamite in an unventilated tunnel)
- Worker exploitation: Predominantly migrant labourers from Assam, Bihar, and West Bengal; no safety equipment, no contracts, no insurance; workers avoid healthcare facilities fearing arrest
- The 2018 Meghalaya mining accident (13 miners trapped for weeks in a flooded mine in Ksan, East Jaintia Hills) drew national attention and led to subsequent tightening of judicial monitoring
● Tracked since February 06, 2026 · last seen March 10, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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