Fire is also coming out through hand-pumps.
By
Dr. Nitish Priyadarshi
The haunting inscription that marks the gates of hell in
Dante’s Inferno could well be true for coalfields located in Jharkhand in Eastern India . For, the underground fires that have been
raging in the coalfields of these areas over several decades are now beginning
to engulf its thickly inhabited areas as well.
Earlier it was Jharia town now the new areas are under
threat. Recently two major incidents took place near Bokaro and Dhanbad town
where underground fire erupted on the surface. One was through hand-pump and
other was in middle of a local river near Dhanbad.
Jharkhand has been the home to some bizarre happenings in
the recent days. The most freaky and interesting in recent days is the Katri River
Panic gripped in Katras area near Dhanbad when fire erupted
in middle of the Katri river. It was first case of such eruption in river. Some
local kids spotted fire arising from within the water and boiling it from under
causing violent ripples in the place. The fire was only just over a foot tall
and hence was not dangerous yet. Alarmed adults reached the spot.
It is all due to either underground mine fire which is now
slowly engulfing the entire area or due to Coal Bed Methane gas (CBM) which is
gushing out on the surface in many pockets of the affected areas. Entire area
is rich in CBM gas.
Methane (CH4)
is a gas formed as part of the process of coal formation – coalification. When
coal is mined methane is released from the coal seam and the surrounding
disturbed rock strata. Methane can also be released as a result of natural
erosion or faulting or due to deep boring to trap groundwater or mine blasting.
In Bokaro and Dhanbad area deep borings are going on recklessly for groundwater
exploitation. These has resulted rock fractures helping methane gas trapped
beneath to escape to the atmosphere through such fractures and resulting in
surface fire.
Methane is highly combustible – its release can have serious
implications for the safety of mine operations. It is also a potent greenhouse
gas (GHG) – 23 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO2).
Methane is released during the process of extracting coal in
both surface and underground mining. The released methane then mixes with air,
which becomes highly explosive if methane concentration levels reach 5-15%.
Methane explosions are devastating, causing significant loss of life and damage
to property.
Such is the intensity of the fires that even a mid-summer
sun pales in the smoky haze that they generate. After dusk, the flames take on
morbid hues. “Total area including Jharia town resembles a cremation ground at
night”.
Causes of Coal Fires:
Coal fires are a natural occurrence and as widespread as
forest fires. Besides the blaze in Jharkhand’s coalfield areas, the coal fire
of Indonesia
is regarded as the wildest on the earth.
An organic and highly carbonaceous material, coal-when
exposed to moisture and oxygen- tends to catch fire immediately. Coal absorbs
oxygen at all temperatures with slight rise in temperature. If ventilation is
not adequate to take away the heat thus formed, more oxygen will be absorbed,
and more will be the rise in temperature. This process continues till it
catches fire. Reaction rate is doubled for every 10 degree rise in temperature.
This phenomenon of spontaneous combustion is the main natural cause of coal
fires. Lightning, forest fires or frictional heat generated during churning
inside the Earth’s crust can also ignite coal fires. Regarding Jharkahd
research says that no single reason can be attributed to the fire. Coals of the
this area are not very prone to auto-oxidation.
