Abstract
Coal is a strategic and essential resource that ensures quality of life, energy security and sustainable development. Being the cheapest source of energy, it is the second after oil that is used to generate 40% of the world's electricity. However, traditional and conventional coal fuel extraction can threaten human health bycontaminating air and water, harming land, and contributing to global warming. The environmental impacts associated with conventional methods of coal mining and consumption can affect all components of the environment, and these impacts may be beneficial or harmful, permanent or temporary, repairable or irreparable, and reversible or irreversible in nature. These effects require considering of changing the production and consumption of coalwithin a technological framework. Coal mining operationscan cause both quantitative and qualitative impacts on water systems in and around mining areas. This paper reviews the impacts of coal mining on water resource development. Land subsidence, disruption of hydrological channels, flooding, and contamination of water resources and depletion of water table are the major measurable impacts of mining activity on the hydrological environment.
Highlights
The development of an economy is linked with a country's natural resource potential
Affected soil fertility and retarded plant growth 55% of the mine drainage/irrigation waters and 50% of the groundwater were moderately to highly contaminated Acid mine drainage (AMD) generated in the bituminous coal mining activities was a potential source of metals and As to water systems
Pit lake of the area caused acidity of surface water Water quality deteriorated Tikak, Tirap andTipong collieries were highly contaminated with AMD and generated low pH and metal enriched discharge Ledo and Baragolaicollieries were producing alkaline drainage with low metal loading Water was deemed unsafe for drinking purposes Groundwater was highly contaminated with Hg and other physiochemical parameters were affected Pyrite oxidation in Mine tailings was the source of metallic elements Affected daily potable water Fresh to hypersaline water affected
Summary
The development of an economy is linked with a country's natural resource potential. These natural resources and environment are the primary factors influencing sustainable development. Coal is one of the three main energy resourcesand used to generate 40% of the world's electricity [4]. In China, for example, the extraction of one ton coal depletes water resources by 1.32 m3, and causes the contamination of 0.88 m3 of water bodies and damage to 0.17 m3of ecological environments with a consequent economic loss of about 50.61 Yuan [19]. In China this industry pays asewage discharge fee of 1.4 Yuan per equivalent to the soil erosion fee, water resource fee of 0.1e1.6 Yuan/m3, anda compensation fee against soil erosion and soil conservation of 0.5e1.5 Yuan/t [19] It requires the revision in real terms to establish a true coal-related water resource cost. This review will help to formulate environmentally sustainable coal mining operations
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