IMPACTS OF COAL MINING IN BALOCHISTAN

Abstract

The average emission and prevalence of methane CH4, carbon monoxide CO, and oxygen O2 measured as 11.8m3/ton, 36ppm and 14% respectively which exceeds the permissible limits of 1-10m3/ton, 30ppm and 18 %( Standardized by National institute of occupational safety and health NIOSH U.S.A) and are the source of high death ratio. The higher concentration of coal dust (carbon and quartz contents of Coal dust) have been measured as 4-5mg/m3 and 0.35mg/m3 against the threshold limits (Recommended by NIOSH) of 2mg/m3 and 0.05-0.1 mg/m3 for 8hours daily and 40hours/week. The high concentration of coal dust in coal mine areas of Baluchistan is not only the source of health problems like routine headache, irritation in throat ,nose, and eyes, drowsiness, shortness of breath, nausea, pneumoconiosis, tuberculosis, chronic obstructive bronchitis, heart problems, respiratory irritation, asthmatic and even lung impairment and lung cancer problem, but is causing severe damage to the Environment., The coal water and slurry being the residual of coal mining are disposed off in an unconfined area which becomes the source of soil and water degradation and the contaminated water taken by coal workers has several health impacts like ulcer, diarrhea, cholera, hepatitis B and C etc on coal workers of Baluchistan.