Environmental pollution and related health hazards in raniganj and adjoining coalfield areas
Answers
The Raniganj situated in West Bengal is a large coal mining area and has been so for more than 200 years.
The prolonged extraction of coal for fuel has resulted in air, water and soil problems in and around Raniganj.
Environmental pollution
- Air pollution occurs due to release of dust, CO2 and other gasses.
- Noise pollution occurs due to blasting, drilling and nearby movement of heavy machinery
- Increase in heavy vehicles in Raniganj coal belt causes air and noise - pollution.
- Increase in soil erosion.
- Increase in garbage and waste disposal have resulted in water pollution.
- Presence of trace metal contamination in soil and water.
- Problems of land subsidence due to the excavation of soil.
Health Hazards
- Black lung disease: Also called miner's disease occurs due to deposition of coal particles in lungs under long exposure.
- Silicosis or pneumoconiosis: Lung diseases caused by exposure to dust particles.
- The acid dump kills the fishes and makes the water unfit for drinking and other activities
- Mine accidents occurring during mining are also important health hazard.
Pollution is one of the biggest fear for the mankind to see because if the Amount of pollution increase it will be very much bad for the people to sustain in this environment. In the areas of Raniganj there is a lot of coal field around them. Which causes a lot of pollution for the environment. Hence the person who like in bear the coalfields areas of Raniganj might suffer from respiratory problems.