No.J-11015/865/2007-IA.II(M)
Government of
Ministry of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
Dated: 27th October 2008
To
General Manger (Env. & Forests),
M/s Central Coalfields
Ltd.,
Sub: Magadh
Opencast Expansion Coal Mine Project (12 MTPA to 20 MTPA) of M/s Central
Coalfields Ltd. located in villages, Tehsil
Tandwa in District Chatra, Jharkand - environmental clearance – reg.
Sir,
This
has reference to letter No. 43011/90/2007-CPAM dated 27.06.2007 of Ministry of
Coal forwarding the application and letters dated 07.03.2008, 09.05.2008,
31.07.2008 and 1`8.08.2008 on the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of
Environment & Forests has considered your application. It has been noted that the project is for expansion in production of the existing
Magadh Opencast Coalmine Project from 12 MTPA to 20 MTPA. Environmental
clearance was obtained for 12 MTPA project on 19.07.2006. The total lease area
is 1769 ha of which 900 ha is agricultural land, 244 ha is
forestland, 280 ha is wasteland, 111 ha is surface water bodies and 234 ha
includes settlements. Forestry clearance has been applied for. There are no
National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 10 km
buffer zone. Nallah flows within 60m of the ML boundary. It is proposed to
modify the natural drainage of the area diversion of the nallah of 1.5 km
length flowing thorough the lease and construction of an embankment along side
the lease boundary adjoining the nallah. The project involves R&R involving
998 PAFs from 5 villages - Dereo
large (32), Ara
(216), Chamatu (168), Ganeshpur (360), Phulbesia (220).
Of the total mining lease area, 1146 ha is quarry area, 194.71 ha is for OB
dumps, 11.09 ha is for infrastructure
including buildings, 34 ha is for roads, 140 ha is for green belt, 17.25 ha is
for CHP, 44 ha is for township and 321.95 ha is for safety zone and nallah
diversion. Mining will be opencast by mechanised method and involves drilling
and blasting. Rated capacity of the mine
is 20 million tonnes per annum (MTPA). Mineral transportation of 54,800 TPD
of coal from the mine in the expansion project would be by MGR (27,400 TPD) and
by rail (27,400 TPD). Water table in the study area is in the range of 3-12m
bgl during pre-monsoon and 1-6m during post monsoon. Ultimate working depth of
the mine is 110m below ground level (bgl). Peak water requirement is 2132 m3/d
of which will be met from ground water (250 m3/d), mine pit water (3000 m3/d)
and from recycled water. Peak mine water discharge form the mine during monsoon
is 20,794 m3/d. An estimated 529 Mm3 of OB will be generated over the life of
mine, of which 75% would be backfilled and the balance stored in 2 external OB
dumps of a max. of 90m height consisting of 3 benches of 30m each. Life of mine at the rated capacity of 20 MTPA
is 26 years. Public Hearing was held on 17.08.2007. The project has been
approved by M/s CCL on 23.08.2008. Capital
cost of the project is Rs. 63.146 cores.
2. The
Ministry of Environment & Forests hereby accords environmental clearance
for the above-mentioned Magadh Opencast
Expansion Coal Project of M/s
Central Coalfields Limited for production of coal from at 20 MTPA rated
capacity in a total lease area of 1769 ha under the provisions of 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)
No
mining operations shall be undertaken in the forestland until clearance has
been obtained under the provisions of FC Act, 1980.
(ii) Mining shall be carried out as per
statuette from the streams/nallahs flowing within the lease and the along the diverted nallah along the
lease boundary. The embankment being constructed adjoining the nallh shall be
(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 two
external
(v)
Catch
drains and siltation ponds of appropriate size shall be constructed to arrest
silt and sediment flows from soil,
(vi) Dimension of the retaining wall at the toe
of the dumps and
(vii) Mineral transpiration for the entire 20
MTPA capacity from mine to CHP and from CHP to railway siding (10 MTPA) and to
MGR (10 MTPA) shall be by conveyor which shall be commissioned by the year
2010. MGR shall be provided with Silo loading facility.
(viii) Conveyor
system for mineral transportation shall be closed with high efficiency water
sprinkling system provided to check fugitive emissions at the transfer points,
haulage roads, etc. Dry fogging shall be provided for crushing/loading
operations for dust control at the CHP with Rapid Loading System.
(ix) Drills
shall be wet operated only.
(x) Controlled
blasting shall be practiced with use of delay detonators. The mitigative
measures for control of ground vibrations
and to arrest the fly rocks and boulders shall be implemented.
(xi) The
total area that shall be brought under afforestation at the time of mine
closure shall not be less than 1223 ha which includes reclaimed external OB dump (195 ha), and backfilled area (558 ha),
268 ha of steep quarry which is not being backfilled, along ML boundary, safety
zone and vacant/undisturbed area, along roads and infrastructure, green belt
(202 ha) and in township outside the lease
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 Mine Closure Plan shall be implemented by reclamation of 558 ha of
quarry area by backfilling and afforestation 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. Quarry
area of 268 ha which is too steep for backfilling shall be bio-reclaimed by
plantation using geotextile material in critical patches. About 320 ha of decolaed area/void which is being
converted into a water reservoir shall be gently sloped and the upper
benches of the reservoir shall be terraced and stabilised with plantation.
(xiii) Prior
approval of the CGWB/CGWA shall be obtained in cases of use of groundwater for
mining operations.
(xiv) 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 tot eh Central Pollution Control Board quarterly within one month of monitoring.
(xv) The
project authorities shall meet water requirement of nearby village(s) in case
the village wells go dry due to dewatering of mine.
(xvi) Sewage treatment plant of adequate capacity
shall be installed in the colony. ETP
shall also be provided for workshop and
CHP wastewater. Treated wastewater meeting prescribed norms only shall be
permitted to be discharged in to the natural water courses.
(xvii) Besides
carrying out regular periodic health check up of their workers, 10% of the
workers identified from workforce engaged in active mining operations shall be
subjected to health check up for occupational diseases and hearing impairment,
if any, through an agency such as NIOH, Ahmedabad within a period of one year
and the results reported to this Ministry and to DGMS.
(xviii) A
detailed R&R Plan including for all the PAFs including tribals to be
displaced from the project area shall be prepared and implemented in a
stipulated time –frame. The compensation shall be not less than that specified
in the National R&R Policy. A
detailed Socio-economic survey shall be carried out and based on the same an
effective R&R package shall be given to ensure restoration of income of
project affected persons (PAP). Provision shall also be made in the R&R
Plan to take care of the land less labourers and the tribals.
(xix) 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.
(xx)
A Final Mine Closure Plan along with details of Corpus Fund shall be
submitted to the Ministry of Environment
& Forests 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, RSPM, SO2, Nox, Hg and other
heavy metals such as 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)
Data
on ambient air quality (SPM, RSPM, SO2,, NOx, Hg and
other heavy metals) shall be regularly submitted to the Ministry including its
Regional Office at Bhubaneshwar and to the State Pollution Control Board and
the Central Pollution Control Board once in six months.
(v)
Fugitive
dust emissions (SPM, RSPM, Hg and other heavy metals) 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.
(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 e 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)
A
copy of the environmental clearance letter shall be marked to concerned
Panchayat/ local NGO, if any, from whom any suggestion/representation has been
received while processing the proposal.
(xiv)
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.
(xv)
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,
2.
Secretary,
Department of Environment & Forests, Government of Jharkand, Secretariat,
3.
Chief
Conservator of Forests, Regional office (EZ), Ministry of Environment &
Forests, A-31, Chandrashekarpur, Bhubaneshwar – 751023.
4.
Chairman,
5.
Chairman,
Central Pollution Control Board, CBD-cum-Office Complex, East Arjun Nagar,
6.
Member-Secretary,
Central Ground Water Authority, Ministry of Water Resources, Curzon Road Barracks,
A-2, W-3 Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi.
7.
Shri
M.K. Shukla, CGM, Coal India Limited, SCOPE Minar, Core-I, 4t Floor, Vikas
Marg, Laxminagar,
8.
District
Collector, Chatra, Government of Jharkand.
9.
Monitoring
File 11. Guard File 12. Record File
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director