Shillong | Jul 28, 2015: A year after the National Green Tribunal has banned the unscientific rat hole coal mining in Meghalaya, the acidic water emanating from these mines continues to plague rivers downstream, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited chairman P C Pankaj said today.
"The pH level of water collected from the river emanating from Meghalaya is constant at 3.4 even a year after the rat-hole coal mining was banned by the NGT," Pankaj said.
He said that this was the same level collected a year ago when coal mining was at its peak in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district.
According to the official, the reason for this constant level could be that the rat holes through which the water seeped in were yet to be sealed and water got into the river system.
The NEEPCO chairman said it could take some more time for the acidic water to improve adding that NEEPCO is replacing all corroded machineries in its three stages Kopili Hydel Project with materials made of stainless steel.
State-owned NEEPCO's Kopili Hydro Electric Power Plant comprises of three power stations in Assam's Dima Hasao district producing 275 MW of power.
NEEPCO's contribution to the NE grid is around 35 per cent and is catering to about 50 per cent of energy requirement of NE states producing 755 MW hydro power, 400.5 MW thermal and 5 MW solar power.
(Source: http://www.business-standard.com/)