Inspite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development. Discuss.

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Ghissu Editorial · Accepted Answer

Despite deforestation, mine fires and tribal displacement, coal mining remains inevitable because coal gives India reliable baseload power and feeds steel, cement and jobs. India mined over one billion tonnes of coal in 2024-25, and coal generates about three-fourths of its electricity.

**Introduction**

India mined over one billion tonnes of coal in 2024-25, and coal still generates about three-fourths of its electricity, even as mines scar land and displace tribal communities.

**Why Coal Remains Inevitable for Development**

SKETCH: forcefield | Coal Mining Trade-off
center: Continued coal mining
driving: Power demand, Steel and cement, Jobs and royalties, Energy security
restraining: Carbon emissions, Forest loss, Displacement, Health hazards

1. **Reliable power**: Solar and wind are intermittent and storage is costly, so coal gives the baseload that rising peak demand needs from domestic reserves.
2. **Industrial backbone**: Steel, cement and aluminium run on coal, and the National Steel Policy 2017 goal of 300 million tonnes of capacity rests on coking coal.
3. **Jobs and revenue**: Coal India employs over two lakh people, and District Mineral Foundation funds (MMDR Amendment, 2015) finance mining districts.

**Environmental Costs and Ways to Reconcile Them**

1. **Forests and water**: Open-cast mining strips forests such as Hasdeo Arand in Chhattisgarh and brings acid mine drainage and falling water tables.
2. **Air and health**: The Jharia coalfield has burned underground since 1916, spreading respiratory disease, while coal dust from open-cast pits and haul roads fouls the air.
3. **Displacement**: Mines in Fifth Schedule areas uproot Adivasi communities with weak rehabilitation.
4. **Cleaner mining**: Coal gasification (100 million tonnes by 2030), flue gas desulphurisation, reclamation of mined land and a just-transition plan can cut the damage.

**Conclusion**

Coal remains a necessary evil: India's net-zero 2070 pledge and its "phase down" stance at Glasgow (2021) show development cannot yet do without it. The task is to mine it cleanly and fairly until renewables and storage can take its place.

Inspite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development. Discuss.

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