THE SINGARENI COLLIERIES COMPANY LIMITED (A Government Company) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC HEARING FOR KAKATIYA KHANI 1 &1A INCLINE PROJECT SITE: BUPALLPALLI AREA, ADILABAD DISTRICT, A.P. Department of Environment, Project Planning, P.O: Kothagudem Collieries-507 101 Khammam District, Andhra Pradesh. November 2007 i
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.0 Project Description 1.1 Introduction The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. (SCCL) has been exploiting coal for more than 110 years. Out of 470 Km long Pranahita Godavari Valley Coalfield, 350 Km stretch is lying mostly in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, wherein The Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) is performing Coal mining activities. Over the years, the Company has expanded its exploration and exploitation activities in Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh. SCCL has proposed to expand the production capacity of Kakatiya Khani (KTK) - 1&1A Incline in Bhupalpalli village & Mandal of Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh to meet the increasing demand of coal from different industrial sectors. 1.2 Need for the Project Coal occupies the pivotal position in India currently meeting over 75% of the country s commercial energy requirement. It is certain that coal will continue to be the mainstay in providing the increased requirement of commercial energy of the country in the coming decades as well. The strategy for coal industry has been to accelerate coal production in order to meet the growing demand of power and other sectors by expanding underground coal mining which helped the industry to meet the increasing demand at comparatively lower additional costs. Presently about 19% Coal production in India comes from underground mines and rest from open cast mines. This trend is likely to continue in future also. The consumption of coal in the country during 2006-07 was about 460.00 MT. The electricity generation sector is the largest consumer of coal in India. It accounts for 80% of total coal consumption. The power sector consumed 341.50 MT of coal during the year 2006-07. The electricity sector will therefore, continue to remain the ii
largest coal consumer for some more decades. The balance 20% is consumed by thousands of other industries like steel, cement, textiles, fertilizers, refractories etc. SCCL has planned to increase the present production level of 37.71 MT during 2006-07 to 40.80 MT by the end of XI Plan period i.e. 2011-12 to meet the Coal demand based on X Plan projections. In order to meet the coal demand, SCCL has taken a two way approach, one by proposing new mines and secondly to expand the production capacity of the existing mines where ever possible. In the present proposal SCCL has planned for expansion in lease area from 377.75 ha to 506.75 ha and to expand the production capacity of KTK-1&1A Incline from 0.3 MTPA to 0.6 MTPA. Salient Features of the project The proposed project comprises the following features: Nature of mining Under ground method Location In Bhupalpalli village & Mandal of Warangal District Total land requirement 506.75 ha Capital cost of the project Rs 3795.09 Lakhs Balance Extractable Reserves 25.164 M.T Maximum depth of the mine 470 m Peak coal production 0.6 Million Tonnes Balance Life of the project 46 years Average grade of coal production E Manpower 1779 1.3 Details of the Site KTK-1&1A Incline is located in Bhupalpalli Coal belt of Godavari Valley Coal Field (GVCF). The block is bounded by East Longitude of E 79 0 49 57 to 79 0 51 56 and North Latitude of N 18 0 27 43 to 18 0 28 49 in Survey of India Top sheet No. 56N/15 of Warangal District. The KTK-1&1A Incline mine is around 85 km from Ramagundam an important coal and Industrial Township and 65 km from Warangal (District headquarters) by road. iii
The nearest rail head is the Jammikunta Railway Station of South Central Railway. KTK-1&1A is well connected to the state capital, Hyderabad both by rail and road and is 230 km by road. No ecologically sensitive areas are present within 10km from the project site and the site does not fall under coastal zone. 1.4 Land Requirement: The total mine take area for the project is 506.75 ha. Out of which Govt. land is 44.78 ha, Company land is 59.78 ha, Forest land is 352 ha and Private Land is 50.91 ha. 1.5 Water Requirement The groundwater seepage into the mine is 13,888 KLD. This water will be pumped out of the mine for conducting safe mine operations. Out of this 2,100 KLD for mine requirement, 500 for plantation requirement, 1650 for domestic purpose and 9638 KLD will let out into the streams. 1.6 Power requirement: Power at 33 KV from the 33 KV sub-station at Chelpur had been brought up to SCCL's camp at Bhupalpalli. Power is drawn from this point at 33 KV to the surface sub-station in the vicinity of the Pit mouth by an overhead line. Present connected load to KTK 1 &1A Incline is 2500 KVA. 1.7 Man Power Requirement: A detailed manpower requirement for the project has been worked out as per the prevailing norms based on workload. At present the mine is being operated with the manpower of 1779. The manpower required for the expansion project will be met from the existing men only. 1.8 Mining Description: The mine is presently operated at a production capacity of 0.3 MTPA. It is proposed to increase the production capacity to an out put of 0.6 MTPA. The balance extractable reserves from this mine are 25.164 MT which will be mined in a balance life of 46 Years. iv
Method of Mining: Considering the parameters like seam thickness, number of seams, maximum depth of the mine, economical working and other geological constraints, underground mining will be continued in the proposed expansion of production capacity. The existing mine is being operated with conventional board and pillar method. Intermittent technology like Side discharge loaders (SDLs) etc., will be introduced for increasing the production capacity. The mine has four workable seams. Initially incline tunnels are driven from the surface to reach the coal seams. After the coal Seams are encountered, level galleries were driven in seams up to the boundary of the Mine to establish the transport circuit. Dip galleries were driven at regular intervals from level galleries and inter-connection were made to form pillars as per Coal Mines Regulations. The Main headings and the panel headings in all the seams were superimposed over each other to extent possible. Drilling & blasting technology is being followed to extract the coal. The blasted coal will be loaded manually or by SDLs into the mine tubs/ belt conveyors which will be hauled to the surface. The mines are being worked in accordance with Coal Mines regulations (CMR 1957) with respect to providing ventilation, support of under ground galleries, safe working of mines and preventing dangers. 2.0 Environment status of the study area: Base line environmental status has been established for various environmental attributes within a study area of 10-km radius from the mine site. A draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report has been prepared for the project. The major environmental disciplines covered in the REIA report include ambient air quality, water quality (surface & ground) noise levels, soil quality, biological, land use and hydrogeology, and socio economic conditions. The report consists of field data generated for a period of three months i.e. from 1 st March 2006 to 31 st May 2006. Environmental Management plan (EMP) including pollution mitigation measures and post project monitoring plan, safety and disaster management plan have also been included in the report. v
2.1 Meteorology: A Meteorological station was installed at site to study the Meteorological Parameters. The data generated during the Summer season covering from March 2006 to May 2006 reveals that (i) the predominant wind direction was observed to be blowing from South West side, (ii) the wind speeds were mostly in the ranges of 2.96-5.67 kmph, (iii) the calm condition is found to be around 39.25 % of the total observations during the study period, (iv) the maximum temperature recorded was 45.9 0 C and the minimum was16.5 0 C, (v) the average relative humidity during the study period was 18 to 87 %. 2.2 Ambient Air Quality The ambient air quality was monitored at ten locations in the study area for three months. The ambient air quality monitoring was carried out based on the method recommended by IS: 5182. The monitored ambient air quality concentrations are compared with the concentrations of the national ambient air quality (NAAQ) standards GSR 384 (E) as notified on 11.04.1994 by CPCB and GSR 742(E) as notified on 25.09.2000 for mining activities and are found to be with in the limits with respect to the above standards. The observed minimum and maximum values in industrial zone are SPM 53.3, 179.3 g/m 3, RPM 22.9, 88.1 g/m 3, NO x 10.4, 29.5 g/m 3, SO 2 6.4, 12.7 g/m 3 and in residential zone are SPM 29.1, 256.1 g/m 3 RPM 7.1, 115.9 g/m 3 NO x 10.9, 34.2 g/m 3, SO 2 5.1, 22.1 g/m 3 respectively. 2.3 Water Quality: Selected physico-chemical parameters have been used for describing the baseline status of water environment. Generation of baseline data for water quality covers sources of ground and surface water. 2.3.1 Surface Water Quality: To assess the Surface water quality characteristics in the study region, thirteen samples were collected. The sampling locations were identified considering proximity to the project site. vi
The analysis results of the water samples are compared with the Tolerance limits for Inland surface water bodies (IS 2296-1982), Class C i.e., water source fit for drinking with conventional treatment followed by disinfection. From the results it can be seen that the Physical parameters monitored, the total Dissolved solids are all well within the standards. The metals such as Copper and lead are BDL at all the locations, whereas the Zinc concentration is well within the stipulated standard. The Chemical examination of the water samples reveal that Dissolved Oxygen, Chlorides (as Cl), Fluoride (as F), Sulphates as SO 4 and Iron (as Fe), at all the locations are well within the standards. Except in the sample collected at SW-10 (kamalapur cheruvu) the ph values are less than the tolerance limit. The BOD levels at all other locations are higher than the standard stipulated. This indicates that the water is not fit for drinking purpose. The water has to be treated before it is used for drinking purpose. Among the samples collected, the sample collected from Gorlavedu Pedda Cheruvu (SW 7) is showing a very high BOD level of 37.7 mg / l. 2.3.2 Ground Water Quality: To assess the Ground water quality characteristics in the study region, eighteen samples were collected from Bore wells as well as the mine discharge water. The analysis results are compared with the IS 10500 desirable limits, which are stipulated for water to be fit for drinking purpose with ground water as source. From the table, under Physical examination, it can be seen that the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels in all samples collected are higher than the desirable limit of 500 mg/l. The highest TDS level of 1682 mg / l is observed in the sample collected from GW-16 (Jangedu village bore well). However, the TDS levels are well within the Permissible limit of 2000 mg /l at all the locations. The Chemical examination of the water samples reveal that at all most all the locations, Calcium (as Ca) values are exceeding the desirable limits except at sampling locations KK-2, Manjur Nagar village, BHPL 2 village, KTK 3, KTK-6 and Kashimpalli village. Values of Hardness (as CaCO3) are exceeding the desirable limits except at sampling locations Manjur Nagar village, BHPL 2 village and KTK-6 but are under the permissible limits. Except at sampling locations KTK-5 Mine, KTK- 2, BHPL 2 village, BHPL 1 village, Chelpur village, KTK 3, KTK 1 & 1(A) and KTK-6 the Nitrates values are exceeding the desirable limits. The magnesium levels vii
in the sampling locations at BHPL - 2 village and KTK-6 are less than the desirable limit, but in rest of the samples the magnesium levels are exceedingly high than the permissible limits. The concentration of metals like Copper (as Cu), and Lead (as Pb) are showing BDL at all the locations. Zinc and Boron are well within the stipulated standard. As some of the values of parameters are exceedingly high in collected samples, it is advisable to use the water for drinking after treatment only. 2.4 Land environment The study area around 10 Km. from KTK-1&1A project site is analysed or the extent of various land use land cover classes with the help of satellite imageries. The land use classification under respective classes are, built up land of 6.14 sq. km (1.54 %), double crop area of 37.28 sq. km (9.34 %), single crop area of 73.70 sq. km (18.46%), agricultural plantation area of 0.58 sq. km ( 0.15 %), dense forest area of 174.62 sq. km ( 43.74 %), scrub forest area of 56.90 sq.km (14.25%), Mining areas 2.30 sq.km (0.58), forest plantations area of 7.56 sq.km (1.89 %), land with/without scrubs area of 24.13 sq. km (6.04 %), Rivers/canals area of 3.71 sq. km (0.93 %) and water bodies area of 12.25 sq. km (3.07 %). 2.5 Soil Quality: To assess the baseline soil quality characteristics in the study region, ten soil samples were collected from different locations and analysed for physical and chemical constituents. From the analysis it can be inferred that the soils are conducible for the growth of different species, which are commonly found in the region. 2.6 Noise Levels: The Ambient Noise levels are monitored at ten locations within the study area. Precision integrating microcomputer controlled sound level meter having statistical unit with digital display was used for noise level monitoring. At each location, the noise levels are monitored at every hour for 24 hours. It is seen from the study that the noise levels observed during day time and night time at all the locations are within the stipulated standards except village areas. viii
2.7 Biological Environment: Core Zone: There is an area of 352 ha forest land in the core zone. Different types of trees, shrubs and herbs are found in this region. The habitat is well maintained with artificial rising of plants around the Core area with natural forest species. The tree species are above 5 m height and herbs & shrubs attracts the birds & butterflies. This area is good habitat for reptiles and amphibians. Buffer Zone: Buffer zone falls in forestland. The forest type is Dry deciduous mixed forest comprises vegetation in dense patches, scrubs and type formations. Based on the field studies and review of published literature it can be concluded that there are no endangered and protected flora and fauna in the study area. 2.8 Social Environment: The study area covers both large and small villages falling under Bhupalpalli mandal of Warangal district. All most all villages in the region have undergone changes in total workers population. The positive change is identical in the villages nearer to mandal headquarters. Most of the villages in the study area have cultivators, agriculture labourers, mining workers and trading as their main occupation. The total population from all categories is found to be 60,487. A survey was undertaken to assess the socio-economic conditions in the study region and nine villages have been identified for the survey. A sample size of 400 was distributed across identified villages by taking into consideration the households of the villages. Random sampling method was followed to identify the target population to be surveyed. Household size, house status, water and sanitation facilities, educational level, cropping pattern, earning members, source of income, income level, health facilities, awareness of the project etc., were addressed in the survey. The details are furnished in the main report. ix
3.0 Potential environmental impacts and Management Plan 3.1 Ambient Air Quality Impact Since no chemical process is involved in the project, the only major source of air pollution is dust generated during mining, transportation and coal handling operations. As the project is an underground mine, there are no significant air pollution causing activities in the surface except from the following operations which may result in marginal dust generation: Exhaust gases taken out by Mine ventilation fan Loading and transport of coal Vehicular traffic etc. Management Plan At present the air pollution levels in this mining area are minimal as the existing mine is underground mine. But due to increasing the production capacity the level of pollutants like SPM, SO 2 and NO x may increase marginally in comparison to background levels. The following Management plan & control measures will be taken up to mitigate air pollution. Extensive green belt development in the mining and surrounding areas Water spraying at coal loading & unloading points. Water spraying in the coal transport routes at regular intervals. Continuous dust suppression arrangements at conveyer belts and coal transfer points at CHP. Avoiding overloading of coal carrying trucks during transportation of coal covering with tarpaulins to avoid coal spillage. 3.2 Water resources Impact The seepage water pumped out of the mine during coal mining operations will carry suspended solids. It is estimated that 13,888 KLD of mine seepage water will be x
pumped from the proposed project. From the detailed hydrological studies conducted for the mine, the radius of influence of the mine on the phreatic surface is assessed as 85 m. Following management plan & control measures will be implemented for preventing water pollution: Management Plan Part of the mine discharge water of 13,888 KLD will be reutilized for dust suppression, plantation, domestic use etc. The excess mine discharge 9638 KLD will be treated in settling tanks before being discharged in to natural drains. Workshop effluents will be treated in Effluent treatment plant for removal of sediments Oil & Grease. The treated water will be used for development of green belt within the premises. The domestic sewage from the mine is being treated in septic tank and soak pit. 3.3 Noise Environment Impact The operation of mining equipment, loading & unloading operations of coal and plying of vehicles is the major sources of noise in the area. The following planned control measures are undertaken to bring down the noise levels. Management Plan Periodical maintenance and tuning of machinery. Protective devices like acoustic wool, earplugs and earmuffs are provided to the workmen exposed to noise levels above 90-dB (A). A thick green belt will be provided around the mine, service buildings and fan house, to screen the noise, as well as for arresting dust. 3.4 Land Environment In any underground mining operations the main effect on land is the subsidence caused by the mining operations. The extent of subsidence depends upon several xi
factors like depth of mining, thickness of mining, technology adapted etc. In the present mine the mining operations will be carried out at a maximum depth of 470 m. The total forest land present within this block area is 352 ha. The mining operations beneath the forest land will be carried out after getting approval as per the FC Act. As per the study conducted for prediction of subsidence the seam wise maximum predicted subsidence is 1.81 m for Seam I, 1.56 m for Seam II and 1.75 for Seam III. However, the reclamation of subsided area (if any) will be carried out as and when it takes place (for any underground mine the predominant effect would be due to the subsidence). The details about subsidence and its Management Plan are furnished in the main report. 3.5 Biological environment As per the study conducted to enumerate the flora and fauna in the study area it is inferred that there are no endangered or endemic species in the periphery of the project. Hence no specific impacts are envisaged. Greenbelt Development Green belt has been recommended as one of the major component of EMP, which will improve ecology, environment and quality of the surroundings of site through. The following are overall advantages of greenbelt development. mitigation of fugitive emissions attenuation of noise levels waste water reuse development of ecosystem creation of an aesthetic environment Use of waste land to improve environmental quality. SCCL has taken up extensive plantation in the mining areas and colonies which was well appreciated by many regulating agencies. Green belt has been already developed in the project site in an area of 36.60 Ha planted with local species. In addition to the existing plantation, the native & local species will be planted in and around the mine site, which will serve as sinks and also as noise barriers. It is xii
expected that with adoption of these mitigatory measures, the impact due to operational activities of the mine will be minimal on the terrestrial ecosystem. 3.6 Solid waste Generation and Disposal The solid waste produced from the underground mining activities is very minimal which is limited to shale and stone muck of about 20T to 30T per month. The solid wastes generated are non-hazardous in nature. Generally most of the solid waste produced from underground mine is packed in the underground abandoned workings. The solid waste generated due to separation of stones & shale at surface and domestic waste from the offices etc., will be disposed in the low lying areas of the company land. Necessary compaction, spreading of soil and development of green belt will be taken up on these dump sites regularly. 3.7 Beneficial Impacts The project due to its various activities associated with the operation of the mine has many beneficial impacts on the environment. It provides the necessary stimulus for better infrastructure facilities in this region. Facilities for telecommunication, water supply, sanitation, rail transportation, health care, education, electrification etc have improved significantly in this area. The project has already resulted in growth of service sector and also created a path for new small scale industrial and business opportunities in the area. This has resulted in increase in indirect employment due to large flow of financial and material resources through increased business trade commerce and service sector. Similar positive growth in the economic front and social environment is envisaged with the continuation of the mining operations through this project. 4.0 Additional studies for the project Hydro-geological studies Hydro-geological studies were carried out for the study area of 10 km. Radius of the mine to study the impact of mining on ground water regime. Ground water development within 10 km radius area around the mine is 30.02%. The trend of the phreatic surface is not declining. Based on this information, this area has been categorized as safe. Scientific studies and in-house ground water level monitoring xiii
shows that lowering of ground water table is negligible beyond a distance of 85 m from the mine boundary. 5.0 Environmental Monitoring Programme To monitor the extent of environmental impact of the project, it is advisable to periodically monitor the various pollutant loads generated during mining operations. A detailed Environmental Monitoring Plan has been prepared using G.S.R 742(E), standards for coal mines. An Environment Management Committee would be constituted at the project level which will be responsible for regular environmental quality monitoring, proper implementation of environmental control measures and liaison with regulatory bodies like APPCB and CPCB and implementation of EMP. The committee shall be headed by project Officer / Manager and will be assisted by supporting staff and workmen. 6.0 Project benefits i) The expansion of the existing mine will ensure uninterrupted supply of coal to thermal power plants and also to meet the requirement of increasing demand of coal based industries. ii) The mine will provide indirect employment avenues to local people in services and other supporting facilities. iii) The expansion project also helps in socio-economic development of the region and state. 7.0 Fund provision for EMP 7.1 Direct Cost An amount of Rs. 29.22 Lakhs was already spent towards protection of environment. An additional amount of Rs. 52.23 Lakhs has been provided towards Environmental Related works, viz., effluent treatment, baseline data generation, pollution monitoring equipment, green belt development around mine and service buildings. 7.2 Revenue Cost The annual revenue expenditure for implementation of Environmental Management plan in the proposed Project is estimated at Rs. 102.87 Lakhs per annum and amounts to Rs. 35.24 per tonne of coal produced. xiv
8.0 Conclusion Considering the likely addition of expansion of existing power projects and construction of new power units, the production and demand gap for supply of coal is increasing and is likely to increase further. In view of this, the Singareni Collieries Company Ltd. has planned for expanding the production capacity of the existing underground mines to increase production as well as probability. The expansion of KTK-1&1A mine is one such project which will reduce this gap to the extent of its peak production capacity of 0.6 MTPA. SCCL as a responsible Government company has placed the protection of environment as one of its prioritized agenda and has imbibed the process of environment protection as a part of mining operations. It is expected that with adoption of these migration measures, the impact due to operational activities of the mine will be minimal on the surrounding ecosystem. ******** xv