Banned Over Dire Risks but Saved 41 Lives in Uttarkashi: What's Rat-Hole Mining?

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A 17-day-long ordeal came to an end on the night of Tuesday, 28 November, after 41 workers trapped by the debris of Uttarkashi's Silkyara Tunnel, were pulled out by rescue officials.

While a number of methods were employed during these 17 days to get to the workers, what finally worked in the last stretch of the operation was "rat-hole mining" – a practice that is effectively outlawed owing to the fatal risks associated with it.

But, what is rat-hole mining? Why is it considered dangerous? How did it help get the trapped workers out? And who are the rat-hole miners that got the job done? Take a look.

What Is Rat-Hole Mining? 

Rat-hole mining is a process of extracting coal by digging small pits, which are usually not more than four-feet wide. The small pits are referred to as "rat holes", and that's where this particular type of mining method gets its name.

These pits are so tiny that only one person can descend into them and extract coal. Once the pits are dug, a miner goes down the hole using bamboo ladders or ropes to get to the coal seams. Coal is then extracted manually with the help of tools like shovels and pickaxes.

This method is prevalent in Meghalaya, where coal seams are extremely thin and other methods of extracting coal are considered to be economically unfeasible.

What Are the Risks Involved in Rat-Hole Mining? 

Firstly, because of the small sizes of the pits that are dug using this method, child-like physique is best fit for rat-hole mining. As a result, owing to the lack of job opportunities in Meghalaya, many children posing as adults line up to partake in the hazardous job.

The most dangerous risk associated with this method is faced by the rat-hole miners themselves. These mines are mostly unregulated and lack proper ventilation and structural support. Moreover, seldom are rat-hole miners given adequate protective gear before they plunge into the mines.

A number of accidents involving rat-hole miners have been reported from Meghalaya, which have resulted in serious injuries and even deaths.

In 2019, as many as 15 workers allegedly carrying out rat-hole mining were trapped inside a flooded coal mine in the Lumthari village of Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills. After a rescue operation that lasted over two months, only two bodies could be recovered from the mine.

The 2019 incident is just one among many. Rights groups say that 10,000-15,000 people have lost their lives in such mines between 2007 and 2014, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, the process may lead to land degradation, water pollution, and other environmental hazards.

When Was the Practice Banned? 

Rat-hole mining had first been outlawed in the 1970s, when the Indian government nationalised coal mines and gave the government-run mining company Coal India a monopoly over coal excavation.

However, several small mine owners continued this practice and allegedly used short adults or children to extract coal.

The government was unable to stop the practice due to the lack of manpower to implement the ban and the remoteness of the locations where coal excavation was carried out.

More recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) banned rat-hole mining in Meghalaya in 2014 and retained its ban the next year.

"It is also informed that there are umpteen number of cases where by virtue of rat-hole mining, during the rainy season, water flooded into the mining areas resulting in death of many… individuals including employees/workers," the NGT had said, justifying the ban.

However, despite the ban and widespread criticism from several quarters, rat-hole mining reportedly continues due to economic factors and lack of job opportunities for the local populace. A panel appointed by the Meghalaya High Court in 2022 had confirmed post-ban instances of rat-hole mining as well.

"Rat-mining may be banned in India, but the rat-mining capability still exists. But that capability has been transformed into underground cabling these days. There's a lot of cabling going on in the metros and places like that," Lieutenant General (retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) involved in the Uttarkashi rescue efforts, told The Quint.

Who Are the 'Rat-Miners' Involved in Uttarkashi Rescue? 

Rescue officials decided to employ the controversial mining practice as a last ditch effort on Monday, 27 November. This came close on the heels of a massive setback to the rescue operation – when the auger joint of a drilling machine being used to clear the debris broke inside rescue pipes, thus blocking the passage.

Most of the rat-miners involved in the operation are from Dalit, Muslim or other backward communities. Their names are Feroz and Munna Quereshi, Rashid, Irshad, Naseem, Monu, Naseer, Ankur, Jatin, Saurabh, Waqeel Hasan, and Devender.

"They actually outdid themselves. My expectation was three meters in a day. They did 11 to 12 meters that day, despite the impediments coming in front of them. So, I think it was a marvelous idea, and wonderfully executed," Hasnain told The Quint.

"These are the people who are capable of doing it. It's not necessary to physically go inside and do that at the moment, but they've got the capability, the ability to work in enclosed spaces for long periods of time, and the ability to use modern equipment underground in these spaces is something amazing," he added.

The 13-member team had been flown in from Delhi to perform the arduous task. Neeraj Khairwal, the Uttarakhand government's nodal officer overseeing the rescue efforts, said that the men are not professional rat-hole miners but experts of the method.

One of the team members had told news agency PTI how the task is done: "One man does the drilling, another collects the rubble and the third places it on a trolley to be pulled out."

(With inputs from PTI and Reuters.)