No.J-11015/756/2007-IA.II(M)

Government of India

Ministry of Environment & Forests

Paryavaran Bhawan,

C.G.O.Complex,

New Delhi -110510.

 

Dated: 13th March 2008

To

Shri R.K. Kapur,

Authorised Signatory,

M/s Usha Martin Ltd.,

701, Surya Kiran,

19 Kasturba Gandhi Marg,

New Delhi-110001.

 

Sub:    Lohari Opencast Coal Project (0.2 MTPA) of M/s Usha Martin Ltd., located in villages Lohanra, Kathautia, Gareiadih, Garikhas, Tehsil Patan, District Palamau, Jharkand - environmental clearance – reg.

Sir,

 

            This is with reference to your letter No. Nil dated 27.06.2007 along with your application and subsequent letters dated 27.09.2007, 23.10.2007, 03.01.2008, and 17.01.2008 on the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has considered your application.  It has been noted that the project is for opening a new Lohari Opencast Coal Mine Project of 0.2 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). The total lease area is 450 ha of which 32.67 ha is agricultural land and 372.33 ha is wasteland. No forestland is involved. There are no National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 10 km buffer zone. A number of Protected Forests are found within the 10km buffer zone. A number of water courses flow adjoining (Durgawati nala), close to (North Koel River- 0.8 km W), and within the lease area (Hathikhar nala). The project involves modification of the natural drainage by diversion of the Hathikhar nala along the eastern boundary of the ML. In addition, it is proposed to construct bunds of 5 m height and 25m width along the Durgawati nala and the diverted Hathikhar nala to protect the mine form inundation.  Of the total lease area, area for excavation is 287 ha, 51.34 ha is for OB dumps, 12.55 ha is for embankment, 3 ha is for roads, 9.37 ha is for green belt and 38.74 ha is undisturbed area,. Mining will be opencast by mechanised method. The rated capacity of the mine is 0.2 MTPA of coal production. Mineral transportation of 666 TPD of coal is by by railways. Ultimate working depth of the mine is 65m below ground level (bgl). Water table is in the range of 6-9 m bgl during pre-monsoon and 2.5-4.2 m bgl during post-monsoon. Mining would intersect water table. Peak water requirement is 302.55 m3/d, which will be met from groundwater (37 m3/d) and from mine pit water (231.55 m3/d). Mine water after settling in tanks would be discharged into Durgawati nala which meets the North Koel River, An estimated 55.57 Mm3 of OB will be generated over the life of mine of which 45.41 Mm3 of OB will be backfilled and reclaimed with plantation leaving a void of 20.44 ha which is to be converted into a water body. The balance would be stoed in one external OB dump of a mx. Height of 40m. Project involves R&R of 4 villages in the core zone – Lohanra, Kathautia, Gareiadih, Garikhas involving 658 land losers inlcuding 304 homesteads. Life of the mine at the rated capacity of 0.2 MTPA is 45 years. Public Hearing was held on 04.05.2007. Mining Plan was approved by Ministry of Coal on 27.09.2025.09.2007. Capital cost of the project is Rs. 4000 lakhs.

 

 

2.         The Ministry of Environment & Forests hereby accords environmental clearance for the above-mentioned Lohari Opencast Coal Project of M/s Usha Martin Ltd. for production of coal at 0.2 MTPA annual rated capacity in a total lease area of 450 ha under Section 12 of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and subsequent amendments thereto and under Para 2.1.1 of MOEF Circular dated 13.10.2006 subject to the compliance of the terms and conditions mentioned below:

 

A.        Specific Conditions

 

(i)         Mining shall be carried out as per statuette at a safe distance from Durgawati nala, North Koel River and Hathikhar nala flowing within the lease boundary.

 

(ii)        The plan for diversion and rechanneling/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)       Diversion of Hathikhar nala flowing across the lease shall be realigned to its original course at the edge of the lease boundary. Regular desilting of the channels and drains should be undertaken.

 

(iv)       The embankment along the Durgawati nala, and Hathikhar nala shall be designed taking into account the highest flood level, based on past data, along the quarry area so as to guard against mine inundation. Channel sides shall be stabilised with geotextile or any suitable material and stone pitching. The slope of the embankment shall at least 2:1 towards the ML and shall be stabilised by plantation. The height of the embankment shall be at least 3 m higher than the HFL. A minimum 100m distance shall be maintained between the OB dump and the Durgawati nala.

 

(v)        A minimum 55 m distance shall be maintained between the mine and the National Highway. The ML area adjacent to the NH which is to be quarried shall be refilled after the coal extraction and compacted to ensure there is no possible subsidence in future in case the NHAI decides to expand the stretch to 8 lanes.

 

(vi)       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.

 

(vii)      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 the Durgawati nala. 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 an yearly  basis.

 

(viii)     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.

 

(ix)       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.

(x)                    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.

 

(xi)      Drills shall be wet operated.

 

(xii)      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.

 

(xiii)     The 3 km road used for mineral transportation to railway siding shall be metal topped and avenue plantation developed all along. The roads would be swept by mechanical sweepers.

 

(xiv)    Area brought under afforestation shall not be less than 342.82 ha which includes reclaimed external OB dump (51.34 ha), backfilled area (266.56 ha), along ML boundary, along roads (3 ha), embankment (12.55 ha), green belt (9.37 ha),  in undisturbed areas and in colony within the mine lease area by planting native species in consultation with the local DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees shall be around 2500 plants per ha.

 

(xv)     A Progressive Closure Plan shall be implemented by reclamation of quarry area of 266.56 ha which 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 20.44 ha of decolaed area being converted into a water reservoir shall gently sloped along the upper benches and stabilised and reclaimed with plantation.

 

(xvi)     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

 

(xvii)    Additional water required, if any, shall be met by recycling/reuse of the water from the existing  activities and from rainwater harvesting measures.

 

(xviii)   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.

 

(xix)          The Company shall put up artificial groundwater recharge measures for augmentation of groundwater resource. The project authorities shall meet water requirement of nearby village(s) in case the village wells go dry due to dewatering of mine.

 

(xx)     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.

 

(xxi)     An STP shall be provided for the township/colony to treat the domestic effluents to prescribed standards and for their reuse in project activities.

 

(xxii)    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. 23 crores and shall include specific income generation schemes. In addition, Sika and Khurd villages of Patan Block shall be adopted for socio-economic and welfare measures.

 

(xxiii)   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.

 

(xxiv)   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. The Final Plan shall minimise the area to 8.62 ha and depth of void left as water reservoir.

 

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 SPM, RPM and NOx monitoring.  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 RPM) 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, RPM and NOx) shall be regularly submitted to the Ministry including its Regional Office at Bhubaneshwar and to the State Pollution Control Board and to 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 and records maintained thereof.

 

(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 Bhubaneshwar.

 

(xiii)           The Regional Office of this Ministry located at Bhubaneshwar 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.

 

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.

 

 

(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, Palamau Government of Jharkhand.

8.      Monitoring File      9.         Guard File       10.       Record File.

 

 

 

(Dr.T.Chandini)

Director

 

 

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