Neyveli lignite corporation

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABITY – LIGNITE MINING INDUSTRY IN INDIA

BY

Munivenkatesh.P

Group-2

0Environmental degradation is a fall out of industrialisation.

0Air and water quality has gone down, noise levels have increased and flora and fauna affected.

0Mining is an important industry for economic development but operation of the mines may harm surrounding environment as well as to the population

0The lignite deposits in South India were found extensively in late 1930’s while drilling for irrigation purposes.

042 billion tonnes of lignite were found, in which 80% was from Tamil Nadu.

Mining

0 India is one of the top ten brown coal producers in the world.

0Geological Survey of India (GSI) proved the lignite resources in Neyveli in 1943.

0 In 1956, Govt. of India formed Neyveli Lignite Corporation Limited for commercial exploitation of lignite.

0 Its core business is lignite mining and Thermal Power generation.

Unique features

0The unique feature of NLC is its steady growth, along with protecting the environment and maintaining ecological balance.

0 Instead of cleaning up and restoration of ecosystem destruction or human health effects, NLC investment into sustainable practices which saved money in the long role.

Environmental impact of mining operations

0Lignite mining at Neyveli is carried out by open cast mining techniques with high mechanization for excavation, transportation and disposal.

0Lignite covered by overburden (thickened clays and sand stones), and they are removed using bucket wheel excavators, conveyors, tripper cars.

0Mining operation is a continuous process and the overburden soil removed is filled in the de-coaled area.

0Neyveli being an artesian area, exert an upward thrust which is compensated by depressurizer

Bucket wheel excavator

0Mining eliminates,0Existing vegetation0Destroy genetic soil profile0Disturb wildlife and habitant0Alters current land uses0Permanently change the general topography of

the area mined.0Reduces biodiversity

Dust 0Thus removal of vegetative

cover and stockpiling of overburden increases the quantity of dust around mining area.

0The major dust emanating sources are due to movement of crawler equipments like dozer, pipe layer, mobile cranes and transport vehicles plying through the haul roads.

Dust suppression 0Excavation is done by using sharp teeth BWE0Using sharp drill bits for blast hole drilling. 0Spraying water on roads and outside surfaces

through mobile tankers or sprinklers for quenching dust.

0Providing protective respirators and masks to the operators, who are working in dusty areas.

0 Also in thermal stations, stack heights are also high so as to dispose gases like SO2 and NO2.

0Electrostatic precipitators have been installed to remove the ash particles from the outgoing flue gas.

0The main problem in mining area is compounded with the factor that blasting is done for loosening the soil to relieve pressure.

0This blasting creates disturbance and transmits vibration to the nearby building.

0However, as the soil is wet and the high overburden dumps are on the mine periphery, the effect of vibration in the township is not so keenly felt.

0Regular monitoring is performed to minimize the vibration by controlled blasting using latest electronic detonators.

Ground vibration

Noise control

0Noise level is generally kept below the permissible level (85dB for 8 hours)

0Noise created by the machineries are muffed with silencers to modulate noise to tolerable level.

0Other measures,0 Reduced exposure time for workmen0 Checking noise level periodically0 Thick tree belts are provided around the periphery of

the mine

Land reclamation

0Excavation of soil for the purpose of extracting lignite are pre-requisite for mining operation.

0As NLC has acquired several hectares of land for mining, it has planned for refilling and reclamation of mined out area.

0The soil excavated is backfilled in dumps and slopes is stabilized by conventional mining equipments.

0The refilled land in reclaimed for agriculture, horticulture, development of forestry, etc..

0The sustainable integration of different agriculturally related enterprises such as grain crops, commercial crops, vegetables, flowers, medicinal plants, fodder crops, fruit trees, etc., with animal components such as cattle, birds, goats, aquaculture, etc., bio-gas generation, azolla and mushroom cultivation, provides ways to recycle products and by-products of one component serves as input to another linked component and reduce the cost of production.

0Further this farming system approach helps to sustain crop productivity in mine spoil with increased profitability and employment generation. Cattle rearing through Integrated farming System

Integrated farming systems (IFS)

Slope stabilisation

0The external dump over created during initial opening of mines cause a lot of environmental problems.

0 In order to fulfil social obligation, spoil dump over are supposed to be converted to vegetative ones making it fit for habitation.

0 In order to have proper moisture on the slopes, drip irrigation system has been deployed and the slopes are being stabilized.

Ground water management

0To depressurize the deep aquifer below the lignite ground, several quantity of ground water is to be pumped out and diverted to thermal power plant lakes for industrial use.

0Over the years, by implementation of new methods, pumping out of ground water have been reduced considerably.

0Around 18.9 million trees have been planted in and around Neyveli Township and Production Units which helps in maintaining clean environment, dust suppression, noise control, lowering the atmospheric temperature and maintaining ecological balance.

Ambient air quality (AAQ) monitoring

013 permanent AAQ have been installed in and around Neyveli to figure out pollutants.

0The AAQ measured values were compared with central pollution control board, and they were all found to be within limits.

Effluent monitoring

0Effluent discharges from the mines are periodically (monthly) collected and analysed to assess the effluent quality to meet the Standards prescribed by State Pollution Control Board.

Water monitoring

0The underground water from dug wells in and neyveli is been checked thoroughly every quarter.

0A number of check dams have been constructed for effective harvesting and recharging of rain water.

0 Mining of lignite causes pollution of Environment and ecological damage if unattended.

0 Being conscious that environmental regeneration is the foundation on which Productivity has to be built, N.L.C. started investing on Eco Care long back and it continues.

0 Early investment in Environment protection has resulted in steady growth.

0 NLC’s futuristic vision on environmental management system is becoming a symbolic role model for any of the opencast mines in the South-East Asia.

Thank you!!