Coal Ministry conservates 5 coal mine pit lakes

A statement from the Ministry of CoalMinistry of Coal stated on Wednesday that Coal India Limited (CIL) has sought to lead conservation efforts for 5 coal mine pit lakes in various regions of the country.

According to the official release from the Ministry, with the support of the relevant state governments and the Ministry of EnvironmentMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, CIL has decided to conserve five coal mine pit lakes in an effort to include such pit lakes in the prestigious Ramsar List for wetland conservation.

The five coal mines pit lakes are said to be located in the states of West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh. The government-owned coal mining and refining company is in the process of preparing the Ramsar Information Sheet RIS in order to proceed with conservation efforts.

The Coal Ministry, the lead in the initiative, stated in its press release that different bird species frequently visit these mine pit water sources, which are also home to avian colonies. It added that the environment around these water bodies has been ameliorated due to the efforts of CIL through large-scale plantation and other soil moisture conservation activities.

In addition to the efforts of CIL, the Ministry is partnering with the World Bank and the German International Cooperation Agency - GIZ to repurpose abandoned mining sites so they are secure, ecologically sound and fit for proper commercial use in the future.

The Ministry stated that the land would be used for commercial activities, such as solar parks, tourism, sports, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, and townships in the coming future, with the support of international organisations.