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ISSN: 0973-4929, Vol. 15, No. (Special Issue 1) 2020, Pg. 89-97 Current World Environment www.cwejournal.org Sustainable Coal Mining and Electricity Generation: With Special Reference to Dahanu Thermal Power Station SUGAT TAJANE* and MANIKA KAMTHAN Department of Law, Symbiosis Law School, Venkatesh Serenity, Dhayari, Pune, India. Abstract Mining Industry is often tagged as a polluting sector since it involves extensive resource exploitation by unsustainable methods. The techniques involved in mining cause tremendous destruction to the environment and health of Article History people living in nearby areas. There is a growing consensus on sustainable and efficient mineral development which will help in avoiding the clash Received: 30 May 2020 Accepted: 21 June 2020 between economic and environmental interests. Deployment of advanced and sustainable technological solutions in the entire mining process, fixing Keywords the gaps in its regulatory mechanisms and learning from the successes of specific domestic and international mining operations are certain solutions Coal Mining; Environmental that have the capacity to make this sector more productive. The paper Management; provides insights into the problems of mining sector and possible solutions to Environmental Pollution overcome these problems. It also provides examples of certain best practices Operational Efficiency; Sustainable Electricity; adopted by mining corporations for sustainable coal mining. The paper also Sustainable Mining; explores various methods and technologies which can be adopted by Thermal Thermal Power Plant. Power Plants to reduce their emissions and simultaneously conserve the environment. An empirical study of Dahanu Thermal Power Station located in state of Maharashtra of India has been undertaken for this purpose to study the modern technologies adopted by them to lower their emission levels. Introduction followed by India (716 Mt) and United States at third Coal is mined for commercial purpose in more than position (702.3 Mt). The environmental impact of coal 50 countries across the world. The International industry has attracted attention across the globe. Energy Agency in its 2019 report1 on coal information Climate change is one of the greatest challenge of states that the coal production has increased from our time. The environmental and health impact of 3000 million tonnes (Mt) in 1971 to 7000Mt in 2019. coal mining has always been a matter of concern The report provides that China ranks on the top since past several years. position in terms of coal production (3,523 Mt) CONTACT Sugat Tajane [email protected] Department of Law, Symbiosis Law School, Venkatesh Serenity, Dhayari, Pune, India. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Enviro Research Publishers. This is an Open Access article licensed under a Creative Commons license: Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY). Doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.12944/CWE.15.Special-Issue1.06 TAJANE & KAMTHAN, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 15 (Special Issue 1), 89-97 (2020) 90 The frequent outbreak of fires at the mining sites and water bodies contaminating them and making have a serious impact on environment and health of them unsafe for use. people as these fumes contain Sulphur compounds laced with heavy metals like mercury, lead and In order to minimize the impact of mining on arsenic, Bolormaa Oyuntsetseg et al., (2012).2 environment and health it is necessary that Also they contain high concentrations of volatile government and corporates should do sustainable organic compounds like Benzene, toluene and mining. Sustainable mining involves reducing xylene which are known to cause cancer. Dust the environmental and health impacts of mining. which is observed at these mining sites is a major Strategies for assessing the sustainability of mining source of Particulate Matter (PM)10 pollutants. The involves use of methods and machinery which will air around these coal mines is filled with dust is improve various environmental performance metrics. constantly kicked up by movements of coal trucks Some of the metrics for environmental sustainability within the mines. Blasting which takes place at in mining include efficient resource consumption, least two-three times a day in the open cast mine minimizing land disturbance, reduction in pollution is another important source of pollution. With each and reclamation of exhausted land mines. This blast, tonnes of earth material is lifted and forms can be obtained by use of modern instruments dust clouds accompanied by a hailstorm of shattered and machinery. Use of binderless coal briquetting rocks. Another source of dust at the coal mines technology is one such technique which allows is the loading and unloading of coal, drag lines coal mines to upgrade discarded thermal coal into digging, dust from stockpiles and discard dumps compacted, transportable and useable briquettes which is transported by winds to nearby areas, of higher value. In order to reduce exposure of Hossain et al., (2015).3 PM 10 particles present pollutants on long mine walls use of water spray in the dust are so small that they can enter deep and foam applications can be used. The canopy inside the lungs and can cause number of health air curtain technology should be used on coal impacts including high blood pressure, heart attacks, haulage vehicles and optimizing filtration and strokes, asthma and premature deaths. The workers pressurization systems for enclosed work spaces who work in coal mines are prone to spectrum of are some of the techniques which can be used diseases like to coal mine dust lung disease, coal at coal mines. Additionally it is also important that workers pneumoconiosis (CWP) and silicosis. Coal Environmental Impact Assessment of proposed mining also leads to ruining of land structures on mining site be undertaken to analyze the impact of an immense scale by shifting earth and rocks on mining on the environment and health of people. significant scale, Howladar (2016).4 These have Mining must necessarily be carried out within the significant impact on the flow of groundwater. The carrying capacity of the environment and available acidic water which comes out while drilling contains infrastructure facilities. It is also important that local heavy metals. This process is known as acid mine communities are consulted in preparation and drainage. This drainage flows in the nearby streams implementation of mine closure plans. Table 1: Maximum Emission Limit Stipulated by Government of India for Stack Emissions 3 Total Particulate Matter (TPM) at 6% O2 100 mg/Nm 3 Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) at 6% O2 600 mg/Nm 3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) at 6% O2 600 mg/Nm Source - MoEFCC Sesa Sterlite Limited has done notable work in Ore Mine under Tata Steel Limited and Rampura adopting biotechnology solutions in order to recover Agucha Zinc Mine under Hindustan Zinc Limited the mine site after closure of mines by improving the have adopted world class sustainable mining degraded land to acceptable levels. Noamundi Iron interventions with regard to disposal of mine-tailings TAJANE & KAMTHAN, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 15 (Special Issue 1), 89-97 (2020) 91 and reuse of mine-water after beneficiation process, Power Plants which process these coal for Indian Chamber of Commerce (2018)5 generation of electricity are equipped with equally advanced technologies to minimize their impact on While these techniques are undertaken at coal environment. Burning of coal in thermal power plants mining sites, it is equally important that Thermal is one of the important source of air pollution. Fig. 1: Stack Emission Levels at DTPS It is important to ensure that technologies are Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) adopted by thermal power plants that will help to and Particulate Matter (PM)2.5 and PM10. It states minimize pollution and ensure clean and sustainable that out of the total environmental pollution in 2016, 6 energy. Pachouri et al., (2020) in his discussion power sector reportedly accounted for 51% of SO2; paper highlights the issue of coal fired power plants 43% CO2; 20% of Oxides of Nitrogen NOX and 7% as the largest emitters of Carbon Dioxide (CO2), of PM2.5 emissions in India. Table 2: Maximum limit stipulated by Government of India for Ambient Air Quality outside Plant Premises 3 Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) 80 µg/m 3 Oxides of Nitrogen (NOX) 80 µg/m Particulate Matter (PM) 10 100 µg/m3 3 Particulate Matter (PM) 2.5 60 µg/m Source - MoEFCC The continued exposure to these pollutants leads coastal areas. Hot water released from the thermal to various airborne and cerebrovascular diseases.7 plant brings changes to the water temperature. In the year 2011-2012, emissions from Indian Coal Even small temperature changes causes shock to based thermal plants resulted in 80,000 to1,15,000 aquatic life.9 Ash Ponds are created by the plants untimely death as well as more than 20 million to deposit the incombustible coal residues. Cropper asthma cases due to exposure to PM 10 pollutants. et al., (2013)10 in his study conducted found that India’s ambient air pollution caused premature these residues contain metals like Asbestos, mortality of 0.67million in 2017.8 Water Pollution is Cadmium, Mercury and Lead. If not managed another problem associated with coal fired plants properly these residues cause land and water especially those situated close to water bodies and pollution due to seepage and leaching and ultimately TAJANE & KAMTHAN, Curr. World Environ., Vol. 15 (Special Issue 1), 89-97 (2020) 92 water borne diseases. Gunatilake et al., (2014)11 in to USD 0.0105 per kWh (Nkambule et al., 2017).12 his study conducted in India estimated that the cost The mortality and morbidity costs which India will of pollution control technology around USD 12 billion have to incur due to PM 2.5 alone were estimated to if the retrofits were to happen at all eligible plants. be USD 128 billion and USD 11 billion respectively This will add to an increase in tariff between INR 0.32 during 2015 - 2030 (Srinivas et al., 2018).13 If the to 0.72 per kWh of electricity generated by these emission trends of thermal power plants remain plants.

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