Rat Hole Mining

News Excerpt:

Recently, 41 workers have been rescued from the collapsed Silkyara tunnel using the technique of rat mining.

Why is rat-mining banned?

  • This rat-mining practice has received harsh condemnation due to the hazardous working conditions, environmental degradation, and frequent accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities.
  • According to experts, the mines are often unregulated, without safety precautions such as sufficient ventilation, structural support, or worker safety gear, resulting in a highly hazardous situation for the rat miners.
  • Furthermore, mining can lead to soil degradation, deforestation, and water contamination.
  • The National Green Tribunal in 2014 imposed a ban on coal mining using the rat-hole mining technique in Meghalaya.

Other methods used to rescue the trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel:

  • Vertical drilling: 
    • It is accomplished by employing a boring machine to dig straight down from the ground while using electrical tools and equipment.
    • To extract the trapped miners in the Uttarakhand tunnel collapse, a vertical drill was bored into the ground and an 800-mm pipe was installed.
  • Auger mining (horizontal drilling):
    • A horizontal auger machine, also known as a directional drill, is specialized equipment used to drill horizontal boreholes or tunnels without disturbing the ground. 
    • These machines are used to lay water and gas pipes as well as to excavate tunnels.
    • However, in the case of the Uttarakhand tunnel collapse, the auger machine failed to release the trapped miners after hitting metal impediments and subsequently breaking down beyond repair.

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