Ranchi – Continuous rains in Jharkhand have worsened the situation in the state’s coal mining belts, where underground fires are still raging. The situation is now further aggravated by flooding, which threatens worker safety and disrupts coal production.
Underground blazes are intensifying in districts like Dhanbad, Bokaro, Ranchi, and Ramgarh. Smoke and toxic gases are seeping out of the ground in areas like Jharia, Sijua, Baghmara, Katras, and Karakatta.
In Jharia, particularly at BCCL’s Area Nine and the Sijua Kanakani Colliery, residents are witnessing dangerous levels of smoke rising from surface cracks. Fear of land collapse looms large.
Heavy rainfall has flooded many mining zones, leading to halted operations, stranded machinery, and evacuation of miners. Even with warnings issued earlier, drainage systems couldn’t cope, resulting in submerged mines and increasing threats from toxic leaks.
Gas leaks and ground sinking have been reported in populated areas like Katras and Baghmara. Several homes, already marked unsafe, are now showing structural damage, yet families remain due to inadequate resettlement options.
In Karakatta, Ranchi, over a dozen fire spots have been recorded. The air has turned suffocating due to the mix of gas and smoke. In Ramgarh’s Bhuchungdih, illegal mining continues to endanger lives—last month, a worker died in a subsidence-related incident.
In Bokaro’s Dhori area, a fire recently broke out in underground seams, taking days to control. Local residents across these regions are demanding urgent government action, proper rehabilitation, and lasting solutions to the persistent coal fire crisis.
With inputs from IANS