Fire has been raging on in the Chirimiri coalfield in Koriya, Chattisgarh since past one month. Nearly 8 lakh tons of coal has been burnt to ashes, resulting in a huge monetary loss.
Smoke emanating from the coalmine is causing breathing difficulties not just for humans, it is affecting the cattle too. Carbon monoxide and other toxic gases, including methane are hurting the vegetation of the area. Thousands of gallons of water has also been used to douse the raging flames, unsuccessfully.
Activists allege safety procedures have been overlooked by the people operating the mines. They also allege that standard operating procedures (SOP) that are to be deployed in the event of such accidents have been skipped or ignored and that responsibility must be fixed.
Video Editor : Ashutosh Bharadwaj
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