No.J-11015/148/2008-IA.II(M)
Government of India
Ministry of Environment &
Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
New Delhi -110510.
Dated: 18th May 2009
To
General
Manager (Mines),
M/s Jindal
Steel & Power Ltd.,
241B, Road No.2, Ashok Path,
Ashok Road, RANCHI – 834002,
JHARKHAND.
Sub: Jitpur Opencast Coal Project (2.5 MTPA) of
M/s Jindal Steel & Power Ltd., located in villages Jitpur,
Dahubera, Dumberpalem, Pakeri, Telbhitta, Kairajori, & Jiajore,
Tehsil Sunderpahari, District Godda, Jharkand - environmental clearance – reg.
Sir,
This
is with reference to letter No. Nil dated 21.03.2008 for Terms of Reference
(TOR) and this Ministry’s letter dated 11.07.2008 granting the TOR and
application for environmental clearance based on TOR dated 24.02.2009 and
subsequent letter dated 18.04.2009 on the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry
of Environment & Forests has considered the application. It has been noted that the project is for
opening a new Jitpur Opencast Coal Mine
Project of 2.5 million tonnes per annum
(MTPA) for captive consumption of the proposed linked 1000 MW Thermal Power Plant to
be located at a distance of about 36 km. The project involves a total area of 537.93 ha of which 141.24 ha is forestland, 354 ha is agricultural/tenancy land
and 42.69 ha is Govt. land. Of the total project area, 300 ha is mine lease and
the balance 237.93 ha falls outside the lease for infrastructure (137.93 ha)
and OB dumps (100 ha) to be located in non-forest land. A township is proposed.
Major part of the area is forested Khelari RF and numerous Protected forests
and mixed jungle. There are no
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 15 km
buffer zone. The project involves modification of the natural drainage by
diversion of the Kewari nala passing through the ML, at the northern edge of
the Block within the first two years of mining operation, which finally joins
the Gumani nala. The ‘in-principle’ approval of the Flood & irrigation
Dept. has been obtained. The project is opencast by mechanised method involving
shovel-and-dumper. The rated capacity of
the mine is 2.5 MTPA of coal production. Mineral transportation of coal to
the linked TPP would be by conveyors. Ultimate working depth of the mine is
202m below ground level (bgl). Water table is in the range of 4.6-8.28m bgl
during pre-monsoon and 2.30-6.34 m bgl during post-monsoon. Peak water
requirement is 1027 m3/d, which will be met from mine pit water (800
m3/d) and recycled water (227.4 m3/d). Of the total 247.50 Mm3 of OB
that will be generated over the life of mine, 48.09 Mm3 of OB will be dumped in
external OB dumps of an area of 100 ha and of a max. height of 50m, and the
balance 199.41 Mm3 of OB will be backfilled in the decoled void of 153.47 ha
and the balance area of 141.34 ha would be converted into a water reservoir.
Backfilling will begin from the 6th year and continue till end of
mine life. Project involves R&R of 7 villages – comprising 82 PAFs
(homestead and land losers) and 136 PAFs who are only land losers. Life of the
mine at the rated capacity of 2.5 MTPA is 27 years. Public Hearing was held on
25.10.2008. Mining Plan was approved by Ministry of Coal on 12.08.2008. Capital
cost of the project is Rs. 37.50 crores.
2. The
Ministry of Environment & Forests hereby accords environmental clearance
for the above-mentioned Jitpur Opencast
Coal Project of M/s Jindal Steel
& Power Ltd. for production of coal at 2.5 MTPA annual rated capacity in a
total project area of 537.93 ha under
the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and subsequent
amendments thereto and Circulars thereto subject to the compliance of the terms
and conditions mentioned below:
A. Specific Conditions
(i) Mining shall not be carried out in
forestland until forestry clearance is obtained.
(ii) The plan for
diversion and realignment of the nala and modification of the natural surface
drainage and design of the diversion canal shall be done in consultation and
approval of the concerned State Flood and irrigation Department. Dimension and
depth of the nala should be finalised based on the peak flow of the water.
(iii) Topsoil shall be stacked properly with
proper slope at earmarked site(s) and shall not be kept active and shall be
used for reclamation and development of green belt.
(iv) OB shall be stacked at earmarked external
OB dumpsite within ML area and shall be a maximum height of 40m only each. The
ultimate slope of the dump shall not exceed 28o. A minimum 100m distance shall be maintained between the OB
dump and Kewari Nala and between the dump and Jitpur village. Monitoring
and management of existing reclaimed dumpsites shall continue until the
vegetation becomes self-sustaining. Compliance status shall be submitted to the
Ministry of Environment & Forests and its Regional office located at
Bhubaneshwar on yearly basis.
(v) Catch drains and siltation ponds of
appropriate size shall be constructed to arrest silt and sediment flows from
soil, OB and mineral dumps. The water so collected shall be utilised for
watering the mine area, roads, green belt development, etc. The drains shall be
regularly desilted and maintained properly.
Garland drains (size,
gradient and length) and sump capacity shall be designed keeping 50% safety
margin over and above the peak sudden rainfall and maximum discharge in the
area adjoining the mine site. Sump capacity shall also provided adequate
retention period to allow proper settling of silt material.
(vi) Dimension of the retaining wall at
the toe of the dumps and OB benches within the mine to check run-off and
siltation shall be based on the rainfall data.
(vii) Crushers
at the CHP shall be operated with high efficiency bag filters, water sprinkling
system shall be provided to check fugitive emissions from crushing operations,
conveyor system, haulage roads, transfer points, etc.
(viii) Drills shall be wet
operated.
(ix) Controlled blasting shall be
practiced only during daytime with use of delay detonators. The mitigative
measures for control of ground vibrations and to arrest the fly rocks and
boulders shall be implemented.
(x) Mineral transportation to linked TPP
shall be by conveyors only.
(xi) Area brought under afforestation shall
not be less than 326.58 ha which includes reclaimed external OB dump (100 ha),
backfilled area (153.47 ha), along ML boundary, along roads,green belt, in undisturbed areas and in colony by
planting native species in consultation with the local DFO/Agriculture
Department. The density of the trees shall be around 2500 plants per ha.
(xii) A Progressive Closure Plan shall be
implemented by reclamation of quarry area of which 153.47 ha shall be
backfilled and afforested by planting native plant species in consultation with
the local DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees shall be around
2500 plants per ha. The balance 141.34 ha of decolaed area being converted into
a water reservoir shall gently sloped along the upper benches and stabilised
and reclaimed with plantation.
(xiii) A Conservation Plan for endangered species
found in and around the project area shall be formulated and for the medicinal
plants (in-situ and ex-situ) shall be prepared and implemented in consultation
with the State Forest and Wildlife Departments. Separate funds shall be
earmarked for implementation of the various activities there under and the
status thereof shall be regularly reported to this Ministry and the MOEF
Regional Office, Bhubaneshwar
(xiv)
No groundwater shall be used for mining operations. Additional water
required, if any, shall be met by recycling/reuse of the water from the existing activities and from rainwater harvesting
measures.
(xv) Regular monitoring of groundwater level and quality shall be carried out by establishing a network of exiting wells and construction of new peizometers. The monitoring for quantity shall be done four times a year in pre-monsoon (May), monsoon (August), post-monsoon (November) and winter (January) seasons and for quality in May. Data thus collected shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment & Forests and to the Central Pollution Control Board quarterly within one month of monitoring.
(xvi) The Company shall put up artificial groundwater recharge measures for augmentation of groundwater resource in case monitoring indicated decline in water table. The project authorities shall meet water requirement of nearby village(s) in case the village wells go dry due to dewatering of mine.
(xvii) ETP shall also be provided for workshop, and
CHP. Effluents shall be treated to conform to prescribed standards,
particularly for pH and TSS in case of discharge into any water course outside
the lease.
(xviii) An STP shall be provided for the
township/colony to treat the domestic effluents to prescribed standards and for
their reuse in project activities.
(xix) R&R shall be based on norms laid
down/approval by the State Government and shall not be inferior than that in
the National R&R Policy and shall be completed within a specified
time-frame. R&R shall provide for a minimum
outlay of Rs. 10 crores and Rs 2 crores as revenue expenditure and shall include
specific income generation schemes.
(xx) For monitoring land use pattern and for
post mining land use, a time series of landuse maps, based on satellite imagery
(on a scale of 1: 5000) of the core zone and buffer zone, from the start of the
project until end of mine life shall be prepared once in 3 years (for any one
particular season which is consistent in the time series), and the report
submitted to MOEF and its Regional office at Bhubaneshwar.
(xxi) A Final Mine Closure Plan along with
details of Corpus Fund shall be submitted to the Ministry of Environment &
Forests for approval 5 years in advance of final mine closure for approval.
B. General
Conditions
(i)
No change in mining technology and scope of working shall be made
without prior approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
(ii)
No change in the calendar plan including excavation, quantum of mineral
coal and waste shall be made.
(iii)
Four ambient air quality monitoring stations shall be established in the
core zone as well as in the buffer zone for monitoring SPM, RPM, SO2, NOx and
heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, Cr, As, etc.
Location of the stations shall be decided based on the meteorological
data, topographical features and environmentally and ecologically sensitive
targets in consultation with the State Pollution Control Board.
(iv)
Fugitive dust emissions (SPM and RSPM and heavy metals such as Hg, Pb,
Cr., As, etc) from all the sources shall be controlled regularly monitored and
data recorded properly. Water spraying arrangement on haul roads, wagon
loading, dump trucks (loading and unloading) points shall be provided and
properly maintained.
(v)
Data on ambient air quality (SPM, RSPM, SO2, NOx and heavy metals such
as Hg, Pb, Cr, As, etc)) shall be regularly submitted to the Ministry including
its Regional Office at Bhopal and to the State Pollution Control Board and the
Central Pollution Control Board once in six months.
(vi)
Adequate measures shall be taken for control of noise levels below 85
dBA in the work environment. Workers engaged in blasting and drilling
operations, operation of HEMM, etc shall be provided with ear plugs/muffs.
(vii)
Industrial wastewater (workshop and wastewater from the mine) shall be
properly collected, treated so as to conform to the standards prescribed under
GSR 422 (E) dated 19th May 1993 and 31st December 1993 or
as amended from time to time before discharge. Oil and grease trap shall be
installed before discharge of workshop effluents.
(viii)
Vehicular emissions shall be kept under control and regularly monitored.
Vehicles used for transporting the mineral shall be covered with tarpaulins and
optimally loaded.
(ix)
Environmental laboratory shall be established with adequate number and
type of pollution monitoring and analysis equipment in consultation with the
State Pollution Control Board.
(x)
Personnel working in dusty areas shall wear protective respiratory
devices and they shall also be provided with adequate training and information
on safety and health aspects.
Occupational health surveillance programme of the workers
shall be undertaken periodically to observe any contractions due to exposure to
dust and to take corrective measures, if needed.
(xi)
A separate environmental management cell with suitable qualified
personnel shall be set up under the control of a Senior Executive, who will
report directly to the Head of the company.
(xii)
The funds earmarked for environmental protection measures shall be kept
in separate account and shall not be diverted for other purpose. Year-wise
expenditure shall be reported to this Ministry and its Regional Office at
Bhopal.
(xiii)
The Regional Office of this Ministry located at Bhopal shall monitor
compliance of the stipulated conditions. The Project authorities shall extend
full cooperation to the office(s) of the Regional Office by furnishing the
requisite data/ information/monitoring reports.
(xiv)
A copy of the will be marked to concerned Panchayat/ local NGO, if any,
from whom any suggestion/representation has been received while processing the
proposal.
(xv)
State Pollution Control Board shall display a copy of the clearance
letter at the Regional Office, District
Industry Centre and Collector’s Office/Tehsildar’s Office for 30 days.
(xvi)
The Project authorities shall advertise at least in two local newspapers
widely circulated around the project, one of which shall be in the vernacular
language of the locality concerned within seven days of the clearance letter
informing that the project has been accorded environmental clearance and a copy
of the clearance letter is available with the State Pollution control Board and
may also be seen at the website of the ministry of Environment & Forests at
http://envfor.nic.in. The
compliance status shall also be uploaded by the project authorities in their
website and regularly updated at least once in six months so as to bring the
same in the public domain. The data shall also be displayed at the entrance of
the project premises and mines office and in corporate office.
3. The Ministry or any other competent authority may stipulate
any further condition for environmental protection.
4. Failure to comply with any of the conditions mentioned above
may result in withdrawal of this clearance and attract the provisions of the
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
5. The above conditions will be enforced inter-alia, under the provisions of the Water (Prevention &
Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the Air (Prevention & Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981, the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and the Public
Liability Insurance Act, 1991 along with their amendments and Rules. The
proponent shall ensure to provide for the costs incurred for taking up remedial
measures in case of soil contamination, contamination of groundwater and
surface water, and occupational and other diseases due to the mining
operations.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director
Copy to:
1.
Secretary, Ministry of Coal, Shastri Bhawan, New Delhi.
2.
Secretary, Department of Environment & Forests, Government of
Jharkand, Secretariat, Ranchi.
3.
Chief Conservator of Forests, Regional office (EZ), Ministry of Environment
& Forests, A/3 Chandrashekarpur, Bhubaneshwar – 751023.
4.
Chairman, Jharkand State Pollution Control Board, TA Building, HEC
Complex, PO Dhurwa, Ranchi.
5.
Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East
Arjun Nagar, New Delhi -110032.
6.
Member-Secretary, Central Ground Water Authority, Ministry of Water
Resources, Curzon Road Barracks, A-2, W-3 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi.
7.
District Collector, Godda, Government of Jharkhand.
8.
Monitoring File 9. Guard File 10. Record File.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director