Koriya/Surajpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 5 : Presenting a glaring example of sustainability while engaging in mining activities, South Eastern Coalfields Limited's (SECL) vision towards 'Mine Water Utilization' has resulted in doubling of farmers' income by ensuring irrigation of over 3000 hectares' land close to collieries near mines.
With meticulous planning and realising the importance of water, SECL is supplying seeped water from its underground and open-cast mines to separate villagers for agricultural practices.
SECL is working extensively as per Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. In this endeavour, the company is providing water from its mines to farmers for undertaking agricultural activities, resulting in a doubling of their income, said SECL Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) Harish Duhan.
Duhan said that utilising mine water in this way has reduced farmers' dependence on the monsoon. Now, farmers harvest double crops in a year, and their agricultural income is also double.
Apart from paddy cultivation, the CMD added that farmers in the areas close to the company's mines also practise horticultural crops by using water from collieries.
Shedding more details about mine water utilisation, the company's Area General Manager (AGM) for Bhatgaon, Dilip Bobde, said that groundwater comes through seepage whenever we operate underground or open-cast mines.
After seepage, we collect the groundwater and ensure its utilisation after seeking permission from the Central Ground Water Board. The mine's water is utilized for dust suppression, machine operation, and compliance with other safety protocols within the mines. Later, the remaining water is supplied to villages close to our campus as demanded by villagers for farming purposes.
Bobde said that after proper treatment in the sedimentation tank, the water is supplied to villages through canals.
He further informed that, according to the available figures, around 3000 hectares of land close to the company's Navapara mines are being irrigated with water from the colliery. Similarly, 300 hectares of land near Jagannathpur open-cast mines are also irrigated through mine water.
"This is a very win-win situation, and due to the effort, the economic condition of farmers is improving," said Bobde.
For the utilisation of mine water, we have written a letter to the District Collector requesting to use the mine water for community purposes, either drinking or agricultural purposes, after proper testing, said AGM, Baikunthpur area Bidya Nath Jha.
Jha added that the company is ready to finance the expenditure of this work through CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or other funds.
Earlier, rain was the only source of water for taking up agricultural practices, but after the company started supplying mine water to villages through canals, the dependency on rain ended, said Budhram Rajwade, resident of the village panchayat Latori.
Nearly, 7-8 villages are benefiting from the mine water and financial status of farmers in the area of getting improved, he added.
After the supply of mine water started, the situation in the area changed positively because in the past we have faced crop damage due to scanty rainfall, said Ganesh Ram Rajwade. Now we are taking double crop as well as horticultural crops, he said.