Stubborn water level affects Umrangshu coal mine rescue operations

way2barak, January 10: The unchanged level of murky water has affected the operations to rescue at least eight miners trapped inside a rat-hole coal mine in Assam’s Dima Hasao district since the morning of January 6.

Rescue workers from multiple agencies retrieved the body of one miner, identified as Ganga Bahadur Sresth from Nepal’s Udayapur district, on Wednesday. Deep divers from the Indian Navy, personnel from the Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, ONGC, Coal India Limited (CIL), and the district administration were engaged in the rescue operation.

Officials said the rescue workers could not locate any of the other bodies from dawn to dusk on Thursday. Apart from poor visibility – the water has been too murky for the Navy’s remotely operated vehicle – the water level has been almost constant at 29 meters in the 90-metre pit.

“We pumped out water throughout last night but the level, which was 28 metres during the day on Wednesday, rose to 29 metres on Thursday morning. Moreover, the best we could do is feel our way but the branches of the rat-hole mine are too narrow for us to go in with our air tanks and other gear,” a diver said.

The body of the miner from Nepal was retrieved from the bottom of the pit above which the rat-holes branch out.

Kaushik Rai, Assam’s Minister for Mines and Minerals stationed at the site of the mishap, said the going for the rescue workers has been tough because of the inability to lower the water level despite the powerful machines in place. “We are not giving up hope yet,” he said.

The hopes hinge on a heavy-pressure pump flown in by the CIL from Maharashtra. The pump, which can pump out 500 gallons per minute, is likely to be pressed into service on Friday.

The mine, one of at least 60, is in the Kalamati area close to the Meghalaya border. The spot is about 30 km from Umrangso, an industrial town 110 km from Haflong, the district headquarters.

Dima Hasao District Magistrate, Simanta Kumar Das said four abandoned coal pits were found nearby. “Trees have grown inside these mines that are filled with water. We have to assess if these mines need to be dewatered too,” he said.

Special Director General of Police, Harmeet Singh said on Wednesday that the mine was apparently connected with some water source because of which water was not receding. This source is believed to be a massive reservoir of a central power generation corporation a little more than 500 metres away.

The Kopili River, which partly forms the boundary between the Dima Hasao and West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, is also a few metres away. The river is connected to the reservoir.

Rajib Barman from western Assam’s Kokrajhar and a survivor of the mishap said at least 20 workers had entered the mine on January 6. “Two hours after we entered the pit at around 4:30 a.m., I heard voices from the tunnels [rat-holes] screaming about water rushing in. I somehow managed not to drown and reach the shaft before some of us clutched the ropes, a motor pipe, and the trolley to climb to safety,” he said.