Jharia in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand is famous for its prime quality coal, which has been an integral part of India's Industrial support. The coal produced here supports several industries all over the west bengal chhattisgarh belt including India's top steel and iron production factories. For decades, the coal extracted here powered the famous steam engines in the 1900s.
The mining of Jharia coal began in 1894 and the region now boasts two vast underground and nine large open-cast mines. Still, the economic boom brought by this industry comes with an immeasurable drawback, that is a century-old underground fire that has been raging since 1916. The cause of the fire is still unknown, but it is suspected to have resulted from a combination of factors that includes a lightning stroke, forest fires, and also human accidents leading to improper shutdown of some old mines. By the early 20th century, the mines were owned by some private businessmen who exploited local labor and neglected the safety of miners, which possibly led to the initiation and spread of the fire.
India nationalized its coal mines in 1971 and found 70 fires, only in Jharia. Despite establishing Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) to manage the mines over the years, fire has increased rather than decreased. Reportedly, it has now appeared to be one of the oldest and largest mine fires all over the world covering 450 square kilometers and touching almost 500,000 lives. The fire is still raging at 67 different sites, with temperatures in certain areas reaching an extreme of 700 degrees Celsius, as reports suggest.
The imminent sense of a human disaster is real and daunting. The Indian government is aware of the problem, but unable to allocate enough funds to relocate the population at dire risk. And on the other hand, in Jharia, the population is not prepared to leave. Most of the population makes a living from coal. The environment is hostile, but miners are guaranteed a job and sometimes even accommodation. It is considered stable and honest to work for private mining companies, but is not the safest or most beneficial as a majority go into the pits and quarries owned by the government. The least fortunate of them, mine coal with their bare hands in illegal reserves run by the local mafia.
In Jharia, people are prepared to die at the bottom of a pit in order to provide for their family, but not to be shot dead by the mafia, whom they often equate with the government. From time to time, when there are too many murders, the anger of the local population explodes onto the street and, amazingly, the slogans and insults are not aimed at the criminals, but at the police and local authorities, accused of having abandoned the town to its ill fate.
Local communities are affected by the impacts of fires. Landslides happen frequently and rains of stones by activities in mines affect villagers dwelling nearby. According to people's experiences, in some areas, the heat of the ground is extreme such that one cannot walk barefoot even with a shooed foot. Toxic fumes and smoke from burning coal expose local people to a lot of health hazards like respiratory diseases among others. Efforts have been made to control the fire and rehabilitate affected families. The Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority was set up in 2008 to relocate the residents from the fire-affected area, but the progress has been slow. Consequently, most families remain in hazardous conditions due to delays and discrepancies in the rehabilitation process. The century-old fire in Jharia is a stinging reminder of the twin environmental and human costs of industrialization. Though coal has remained an integral input for India's energy needs, Jharia tells us stories about urgently needed sustainable mining and efficient disaster management.
Here are some photos straight from the sites that substantiate the depth of the situation in Jharia,
