Nearly two weeks after 15 men were reported to be trapped in an illegal coal mine in , operations to rescue them failed to make headway amidst heavy criticism and diminishing hope. On Thursday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma promised not to give up, while acknowledging the huge logistical challenge posed by rising waters and lack of equipment.
A day after operations were suspended owing to lack of powerful pumps, the C and states like Odisha stepped in to offer the required help to evacuate those trapped. 21 National Disaster Response Force personnel and 10 high-power pumps were sent aboard Indian Air Force transport carrier C-130J Super Hercules to Guwahati from where they, along with other equipment, will be airlifted on a chopper to East Jaintia Hills to rescue the 15 trapped miners.
The pumps sourced from Coal India mines in Asansol in West Bengal and Dhanbad in will be transported on road to Lumthari village.
A 20-member team from Odisha, led by chief fire officer Sukanta Sethi, also left for Shillong in a special Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft with more equipment, including high-power pumps.
What are the challenges?
According to Hindustan Times, a request for 10 pumps of 100 HP, survey teams to detect seepage, and other assistance from state-owned Coal India was made by the district administration in a letter to the state government on December 20, but the corporation received the communication only on December 26. We are running out of time, CM Sangma had said on December 22, announcing interim relief of Rs 1 lakh for dependents and survivors of trapped miners.
As the miners remain trapped in the rat-hole mine in Ksan village in the East Jaintia Hills district, Sangma on Thursday informed that rescue operations have taken a backseat due to treacherous terrain and logistical unpreparedness. He said, “A whole river is flowing into the particular mine, which is 200-300 feet below. The tunnel is lower and horizontal. This location is 40-50 kilometres away from the main road. We need 30 high power pumps.”
Earlier this week, the National Disaster Management Force (NDRF) had failed to enter the narrow mine as water level inside it rose to 70 feet. “Divers did go toward the tunnel but it is a difficult situation. We are in touch with organisations that are trying to help. Rescue operations are still on, we are not losing hope. Every life is important but important to look at the situation here,” Sangma had said. Water is still seeping in from an abandoned mine and a nearby river.
World-class pump manufacturing company Kirloskar Brothers Limited tweeted, We are deeply concerned about the trapped miners in Meghalaya and are ready to help in whichever way possible. We are in touch with the officials of the Govt. of Meghalaya to offer our assistance in this regard. We hope all miners are rescued safely.
Local Congress MP Vincent H Pala on Thursday told ANI, Im very sure most people have died, I came to know from local people that there is no chance of people there, those who survive, they run away since the mining was illegal. The team that had been trying to rescue the trapped miners reported a foul smell earlier this week, suggesting that some of the miners may have died while their families continue to pray for a miracle.
Political tussle has been unleashed
Many opposition leaders called out the Centre for its nonchalance at the plight of these miners, questioning their grave concern for the children trapped in the Thai cave, and demanding a faster response system.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue on Wednesday saying, Fifteen miners have been struggling for air in a flooded coal mine for two weeks. Meanwhile, PM struts about on Bogibeel Bridge posing for cameras. His government refuses to organise high-pressure pumps for the rescue.
Grassroots leader and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani tweeted, Miners, manual scavengers and factory workers suffer the most in d[the] world. In India, ppl[people] give a damn to their plight. Day & night, they pour out their blood and sweat for all of us bt[but] who cares about them. Will they ever get a liveable society, ?
Meanwhile, CM Sangma dismissed such efforts at politicising the issue, calling for regulating mining in the state citing similar tragedies that had occurred in the past due to unsafe mining activities. The ruling NPP-BJP government in the state has long since faced criticism over illegal mining.
What had happened?
The labourers had entered the rat-hole mine and got hedged in it after a recent flood near the Lytein river, PTI reported earlier this month. CNN reported that the miners got trapped after the shaft of the 320 feet deep mine that they were illegally digging collapsed and flooded. An official complaint against the proprietor of the illegal mine has also been registered.
The trapped miners have been identified as Ali, Mezamur Islam, Mominul Islam, Shirapat Ali, Mozid Sk, Raziul Islam, Amir Hussain, Munirul Islam, Saiar Islam, Samsul Haque, Chal Dkhar, Dkhar, and Nilam Dkhar, NorthEast News reported. Three of them are from Lumthari in Meghalaya while the rest are from West Garo Hills and neighbouring Assam. A number of them have been presumed or feared dead.
History of rat-hole mining
This is not the first instance of such an accident, as illegal mining carried out by private landowners and the local community is widespread, even though the National Green Tribunal had banned this method of unscientific and unsafe coal mining in 2014.
The interim ban was introduced after environmental activists argued that this form of mining was responsible for severe water pollution. But rat-hole mines are still commonplace in the north-eastern state, as they can be dug up by inexperienced or unskilled locals, even by children.
This form of mining is extremely dangerous as the coal is extracted from narrow, horizontal seams, which often lead to accidents. Practised mostly in the northeastern states, it involves miners breaking the rocks with manual tools and carrying the material out in baskets or buckets.
At least 15 miners were killed after they were trapped inside a flooded rat-hole mine near the Nangalbibra area in South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, in 2012. Their bodies were never recovered, officials said.
Prarthana Mitra is a staff writer at Qrius