No.J-11015/306/2008-IA.II(M)
Government of India
Ministry of Environment &
Forests
Paryavaran Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
New Delhi -110510
Dated: 19th May 2009
To
M/s
Western Coalfields Ltd.,
Coal Estate, Civil Lines,
NAGPUR – 440001.
Sub: New Majri II (A) Opencast Coal Mine
Expansion Project (production from 2.0 MTPA to 2.50 MTPA and ML area from
432.02 ha to 774.538) of M/s Western Coalfields Ltd. (WCL), located in village
Majri, Tehsil Bhadrawati, District Chandrapur, Maharashtra - environmental
clearance – reg.
Sir,
This
has reference to letter No. 43011/48/2008-CPAM dated 08.07.2008 of Ministry of
Coal forwarding the application for environmental clearance u/s 7 (ii) of the
EIA Notification 2006 and letters dated 07.01.2009 and 20.02.2009 of M/s WCL on
the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of Environment & Forests has
considered the application. The application is for environmental clearance
under section 7 (ii) of the EIA Notification 2006 for expansion in production in New Majri II (A) Opencast Coal Mine
Expansion Project (production from 2.0 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 2.50
MTPA and ML area from 432.02 ha to 774.538. EC was granted on 19.05.2005
for 2 MTPA in 432.05 ha. Of the total lease area of 774.538 ha, 742.518 ha consists of agricultural land and 32.02 ha
is Govt. wasteland. No forestland is involved. There are no National Parks,
Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 15 km buffer zone. Of the
total lease area, area for excavation is 537.50 ha, 177.90 ha is for ext. OB dumps,
42.138 ha is for infrastructure and 17 ha is area for rationalisation. The
drainage of the area is controlled by River Wardha flowing a t a distance of
1.5 km. The project does not involve modification of the natural drainage.
Mining will be opencast by mechanised method involving shovel-dumper. Ultimate
working depth remains 80m bgl. Mineral transportation of coal is by road. Water
table is in the range of 10-12 m bgl during pre-monsoon and 8-10m bgl during
post-monsoon. Peak water requirement of 750 m3/d is to be met from River
Wardha. Total OB generation from the mine is estimated to be 269.538 Mm3 over
the life of which 114.838 Mm3 of OB has been excavated of which 73.913 Mm3 of
OB has been stored in two ext. OB dumps of 83 ha and 40.925 Mm3 has been
backfilled and the balance 154.70 Mm3 to be excavated would be concurrently
backfilled. The project does not involve R&R. Balance life of the project
is about 15 years. Public Hearing was held on 27.07.2004 for 2 MTPA project.The
project has been approved by M/s WCL on 05.11.2008. Capital cost of the project
is Rs. 115.86 crores.
2. The
Ministry of Environment & Forests hereby accords environmental clearance
for the above-mentioned New Majri
II (A) Opencast Expansion Coal Mine Project of M/s WCL for expansion in production of coal from 2.0 MTPA to 2.50 MTPA
rated capacity and expansion in total lease area from 432.02 ha to 774.538 ha under the provisions of the
Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and subsequent amendments
thereto and Circulars there under and subject to conditions specified below:
A. Specific Conditions
(i)
No additional land, manpower and equipment shall be used for the
expansion project.
(ii) No OB from the expansion project shall
be dumped on existing external OB or no new ext. OB dumps shall be created. The
OB generated form the balance life of the project shall be concurrently
backfilled into the decoaled void. The existing dumps shall also be
biologically reclaimed using a mix of native species and ultimate slope of the
dumps shall not exceed 28o. Monitoring and management of reclaimed
dumpsite shall continue until the vegetation in all the dumps becomes
self-sustaining. Compliance status shall be submitted to the Ministry of
Environment & Forests and its Regional office located at Bhopal on an
yearly basis.
(iii) 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.
(iv) 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.
(v) Drills shall be wet
operated only.
(vi) 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.
(vii) High efficiency bag
filters/water sprinkling system to check fugitive emissions from crushing
operations, conveyor system/ropeway, haulage roads, transfer points, etc. shall
be installed and operated effectively at all times of operation.
(viii) An area not less than 581.025 ha shall be
brought under afforestation which includes reclaimed external OB dump (177.90
ha), backfilled area (403.125 ha), along ML boundary, along roads &
infrastructure, green belt, and area for rationalisation area within the lease
and within the in township by planting native species in consultation with the
local DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees shall be around 2500
plants per ha.
(ix)
A Progressive Mine Closure Plan shall be implemented by reclamation of
quarry area of 537.50 ha of which 403.125 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.
(x) Additional water requirement if any shall be met from mine water discharge.
(xi) Groundwater shall not be used for mining operations.
(xii) The company
shall identify sites for construction of water harvesting structures for
augmentation of groundwater resource in case decline in water table is observed
over the project life.
(xiii) ETP of sufficient capacity shall be provided for workshop and CHP wastewater and maintained and operated properly. An STP of adequate capacity shall also be provided to treat the domestic effluents and recycle the treated water for green belt development. Mine water discharged from the mine shall be treated to conform to prescribed standards.
(xiv) 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 two years and the results reported to this
Ministry and to DGMS.
(xv) A Final Mine Closure Plan along with
details of Corpus Fund shall be submitted for approval to the Ministry of
Environment & Forests RO, Bhopal 5 years before closure of mine.
(xvi) 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 Bhopal.
(xvii) The socio-economic development of the
villages covered under CSR shall be monitored over the life of the project
using UNDP Human Development Indices and reported as part of the Report
submitted to MOEF RO, Bhopal.
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
effects 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. The
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. 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, New Delhi.
2. Secretary, Department of
Environment, Government of Maharashtra, 15th Floor, New Admn. Bldg.,
Madam Cama Road, MUMBAI – 400032.
3. Chief Conservator of
Forests, Regional office (EZ), Ministry of Environment & Forests, E-2/240
Arear Colony, Bhopal – 462016.
4. Chairman, Maharsashtra
State Pollution Control Board, Kalapataru Point, 3rd & 4th
Floors, Sion, Matunga Scheme Road No. 8, Opp. Cine Planet Cinema, Near Sion
Circle, Sion (E), Mumbai – 400002.
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. Shri M.K. Shukla, CGM,
Coal India Limited, SCOPE Minar, Core-I, 4t Floor, Vikas Marg, Laxminagar, New
Delhi.
8. District Collector,
Chandrapur, Government of Maharashtra.
9. Monitoring File 10. Guard
File 11. Record File.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director