No.J-11015/403/2008-IA.II(M)
Government
of India
Ministry
of Environment & Forests
Paryavaran
Bhawan,
C.G.O.Complex,
New
Delhi -110510.
E-mail:
ms.coal-mef@nic.in
Dated:
2nd July 2009
To
Chief
General Manger (Civil/Env./Forest),
M/s South Eastern Coalfields Ltd.,
Bilaspur,
Chhattisgarh.
Sub: Amagaon Opencast Coal Mine Project (1
MTPA in an ML area of 801.22 ha) of M/s South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. (SECL),
located in village Amgaon, Tehsil Surajpur District Sarguja, Chhattisgarh -
environmental clearance – reg.
Sir,
This has reference to letter No.
43011/17/2001-CPAM dated 10.09.2008 forwarding the application and letters
dated 05.05.2009, 20.06.2009 on the above-mentioned subject. The Ministry of
Environment & Forests has considered your application. It is noted that the project is for opening
a new opencast coalmine of 1 million tonnes per annum production capacity in
an area of 801.22 ha. Of the total lease area, 640.31 ha is agricultural land, 86.12 ha is forestland, and 74.79
ha is wasteland. A number of reserve forests and protected forest – Ketka RF,
Devnagar RF, Rajapur PF, Dawan RF, Pasta RF, and Pothri PF are found in the
study area. Forestry clearance has not been obtained. There area no National Parks,
Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserves found in the 10 km buffer zone. Of the
total lease area, area for excavation is 621ha, 30 ha is for OB dumps, 16 ha is
for infrastructure and 134.22 ha is for safety zone. A colony is being
established in an area of 1.74 ha, at a distance of 2-3 km form the mine with
65 dwelling units. River Rehar flows at a distance of 8km from the ML and
Sareya Nalla flows adjacent to the lease boundary. The project involves
modification of the natural drainage by construction of an embankment. Mining
will be opencast by mechanised method. Maximum rated capacity of the mine is 1 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of coal
production. Entire mineral transportation of 3030 TPD of coal is by road. Ultimate working depth of the mine is
53m below ground level (bgl). Water table is in the range of 7.42 – 8.47 m bgl
during pre-monsoon and 2.23 –2.67m bgl during post monsoon. Peak water
requirement is 550 m3/d. An estimated 171.16 Mm3 of OB will be generated over
the life of mine of which 97% will be backfilled and the balance stored in one
ternal OB dump of a max. height of 40m height. Project involves R&R of one
village – Amgaon involving 454 land oustees and 253 losers of homesteads.
Public Hearing was held on 29.05.2007. Life of the mine at the rated capacity
is 26 years. The project has been approved by M/s SECL on 30.06.2004. The
capital cost of the project is Rs.
3927.30 lakhs.
2. The Ministry of Environment &
forests hereby accords environmental clearance for the above-mentioned Amgaon Opencast Coal Mine Project of M/s South Eastern Coalfields Ltd. for
production of coal of 1 MTPA rated capacity under the provisions of the
Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006 and amendments thereto and
various Circulars issued thereunder and 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 forestry clearance has been obtained under
the provisions of FC Act 1980.
(iii) Topsoil should be stacked properly with
proper slope at earmarked site(s) and should not be kept active and shall be
used within a year of its production for reclamation and development of green
belt.
(iii) OB should be stacked at earmarked one
external OB dumpsite within ML area and shall be a maximum height of 40m only
and consist of benches of 10 to 15 m each. The ultimate slope of the dump shall
not exceed 28o. Backfilling started from 3rd year onwards
shall continue in the decoaled area until end of mine life. Monitoring and
management of existing reclaimed dumpsite should continue until the vegetation
becomes self-sustaining. Compliance status should be submitted to the Ministry
of Environment & Forests and its Regional office located at Bhopal on yearly
basis.
(iv) Catch drains and siltation ponds of
appropriate size should be constructed to arrest silt and sediment flows from
soil, OB and mineral dumps. The water so collected should be utilised for
watering the mine area, roads, green belt development, etc. The drains should
be regularly desilted and maintained properly.
Garland
drains (size, gradient and length) and sump capacity should 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 should also provided
adequate retention period to allow proper settling of silt material.
(v) Dimension
of the retaining wall at the toe of the dumps and OB benches within the mine to
check run-off and siltation should be based on the rainfall data.
(vi) Crushers
at the CHP should be operated with high efficiency bag filters, water
sprinkling system should be provided to check fugitive emissions from crushing
operations, conveyor system, haulage roads, transfer points, etc.
(vii)
All major approach roads, major haul roads
shall be black topped. A 3-tier avenue plantation shall be developed all along
these roads.
(viii)
Mineral transportation shall be by rail and
a railway siding being established within the lease shall be operational within
2 years from start of mine operation.
(viii) Drills
should be wet operated only.
(ix)
Controlled blasting should be practiced with
use of delay detonators. The mitigative measures for control of ground
vibrations and to arrest the fly rocks and boulders should be implemented.
(x) Area brought under afforestation shall be shall not less than 592 ha which include reclaimed external OB dump (30 ha), backfilled area (552 ha), along ML boundary, infrastructure (10 ha), along roads and area in township located outside the lease by planting native species in consultation with the local DFO/Agriculture Department. The density of the trees should be around 2500 plants per ha.
(xi) A
Progressive Mine Closure Plan shall be implemented by reclamation of decoaled quarry
area of 621 ha of which 552 ha shall be backfilled and reclaimed by planting
native plant species in consultation with the local DFO/Agriculture Department.
The density of the trees should be around 2500 plants per ha. The balance 69 ha
of the decoaled void to be converted into a water reservoir of a maximum depth
of 25m and 5 ha are is for haul road for plantation.
(xii) Conservation
Plan for endangered species found in and around the project area shall be
formulated, if required, in consultation with the State Forest and Wildlife
Departments.
(xiii) Entire
water requirement for the mining operations except for domestic consumption
from tube wells, shall be met from mine discharge water.
(xiv) Regular
monitoring of groundwater level and quality should be carried out by
establishing a network of exiting wells and construction of new peizometers.
The monitoring for quantity should 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 should be submitted to the Ministry of
Environment & Forests and tot eh Central Pollution Control Board quarterly
within one month of monitoring.
(xv) The
Company shall put up artificial groundwater recharge measures for augmentation
of groundwater resource. The project authorities should meet water requirement
of nearby village(s) in case the village wells go dry due to dewatering of
mine.
(xvi) Sewage
treatment plant should be installed in the colony. ETP should also be provided
for workshop and CHP wastewater.
(xvii) R&R
of village Amgaon shall be implemented within the time schedule and
compensation shall be not less than the norms prescribed under the National
R&R Policy. Training
shall be given as part of R&R on skill development both or employment
within the company and for those who would have their own independent means of
livelihood. Plan of implementation of R&R would include an assessment of
the socio-economic status of the villages covered under R&R and under CSR,
based on the HDR of UNDP on the status of villages - pre-mining and during the
course of the implementation of the project and thereafter, to determine the
impact of implementation of R&R and measures for improving their
socio-economic status. Annuity
be considered under R&R for the really poor (BPL families) and for aged and
handicapped population from the displaced communities.
(xx) A Plan for socio-economic measures for
the local communities shall be prepared and implemented. A pre-project survey
of the community shall be undertaken using the UNDP Human Development Index
which would be monitored and evaluated over the life of the project at least
once every 5 years and for review of progress and impacts of measures. An
annual recurring costs of Rs. 3 crores or 2.5% of the net earnings whichever is
higher.
(xxi) 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.
(xxii) 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.
(xxiii) A
Final Mine Closure Plan along with details of Corpus Fund should 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 and NOx. 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. Monitoring of heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, Cr, As, etc. shall be
carried out twice in a year and records maintained thereof.
(iv)
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 and to the State Pollution
Control Board and the Central Pollution Control Board once in six months.
(v)
Fugitive dust emissions (SPM, RSPM, and
heavy metals such as Hg, Pb, Cr, As, etc) from all the sources shall be
regularly monitored and data recorded properly. Water spraying arrangement on
haul roads, wagon loading, dumper 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 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 monitoring data
on environmental parameters (air,
water, soil and noise) shall also be displayed at the entrance of the project
premises and mines office and in corporate office and on the company website
and regularly updated once every 6 months.
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 undertake and 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 & Forests, Government of Chhattisgarh, Secretariat,
Raipur.
3. Chief
Conservator of Forests, Regional office (EZ), Ministry of Environment &
Forests, E-2/240 Arear Colony, Bhopal – 462016.
4. Chairman, Chhattisgarh State Environment
Conservation Board, 1-Tilak Nagar, Shiv Mandir Chowk,Main Road,
Avanti Vihar, RAIPUR-Chhattisgarh – 492001.
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, Sarguja, Government of
Chhattisgarh, New Delhi.
8. Monitoring File 9. Guard
File 10. Record File.
(Dr.T.Chandini)
Director