Rat-Hole Mining technique is a procedure of digging manually[5][6] wherein the worker involved in extraction can hardly crawl in and out, as a narrow tunnel is dug 3 to 4 feet in depth.[7][8] This technique is basically of two types:
Side cutting method which is generally followed on slopes of hills by navigating through coal seams deposited on the rock layers and visible on the outer surface of rock and generally in darkish brown or black banded.
box cutting method which involves digging a round shape or square shape pit with a width of 5 square metre and depth of 400 feet. The method is followed in North Eastern India to extract coal.[9][10]
Bans
As Rat-Hole Mining involves working in dangerous conditions, causing environmental damage, and causes many accidents involving death and injuries, the technique is criticised and banned in many countries.[11] Rat-Hole Mining is banned in India by
National Green Tribunal.[2]
The
Meghalaya mining accident happened on 13 December 2018, when 15 miners were trapped in a mine in Ksan, in the
Indian state of
Meghalaya. While five miners managed to escape, rescue efforts for the remaining 10 continued till 2 March 2019.[12][13][14] The miners were trapped inside the coal mine at a depth of around 370 feet (110 meters) in
Jaintia Hills district after digging with the
rat-hole mining technique. The tunnel the miners were in flooded with water after they cut into an adjacent mine which was full of water from the nearby Lytein river.[15][16][17]
In late 2023 rat-hole miners were instrumental in
the rescue of 41 workers who were trapped for 17 days after the road tunnel in
Uttarakhand that they were digging collapsed.[19][20][21]