Sustainable mining is no longer an option but an imperative for India’s coal sector. That is why there is more focus on eco-innovation adaption, where environmental stewardship and resource efficiency must go hand in hand.
The Ministry of Coal has taken decisive strides toward this goal by championing advanced, eco-sensitive mining practices across its major Coal and Lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs). These include Coal India Limited (CIL), NLC India Limited (NLCIL), and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL). These PSUs lead the way in integrating innovative technologies and comprehensive environmental management to drastically reduce mining’s ecological footprint while ensuring coal production targets are met. Surface miners such as, xcentric rippers, continuous miners, and high wall mining, alongside First Mile Connectivity projects to reduce road transport emissions. To mitigate air pollution and dust generation, measures such as water sprinklers, fog canons, wet drilling, and dust extractors have been deployed comprehensively.
The PSUs also emphasize ecological restoration through bio-reclamation and extensive afforestation, strictly following Mining and Environmental Management Plans. Progressive reclamation involves converting mined-out areas and overburden dumps into green cover using scientific methods like multi-tiered plantations, seed ball plantations, and drone-assisted seed dispersion.
As per the information given by Minister of Coal and Mines Kishan Reddy in Rajya Sabha, between FY 2019–20 and FY 2024–25, these initiatives have brought approximately 13,400 hectares under green cover by planting millions of saplings around mining regions. Broader efforts across coal mining areas have created about 50,000 hectares of green cover, including biological reclamation of nearly 29,600 hectares of de-coaled land, avenue plantations within mine areas (about 12,700 hectares), and additional plantations outside mine leaseholds (close to 7,700 hectares).
This extensive greening is estimated to contribute a carbon sink potential of approximately 2.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, supporting India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets for carbon sequestration by 2030.
Looking ahead to FY 2025–26, CIL targets producing 537.92 million tonnes of coal from opencast mines and 23.63 million tonnes from underground mines using blast-free, low-impact mining technologies, reflecting a clear emphasis on reducing environmental hazards. Concurrently, Coal and Lignite PSUs plan to plant an additional 2,800 hectares of greenery in and around mining zones in the same year.
Moreover, the Ministry has institutionalized sustainability through the establishment of a Sustainable Development Cell (SDC) within Coal PSUs that promotes environmental care, resource conservation, community wellbeing, and the sharing of sustainable practices. These cells oversee the adoption of eco-friendly mining technologies, minimization of adverse mining impacts, and the advancement of just transition strategies addressing social and climate challenges related to coal mining.
The Ministry of Coal and its PSUs are advancing sustainable mining by integrating, cutting-edge, low-impact technologies, extensive land reclamation, afforestation programs, pollution control measures, and institutional frameworks. These efforts collectively aim to minimize ecological footprints, enhance carbon sequestration, and ensure responsible mine closure and post-mining land use aligned with India’s environmental goals and international commitments.
