Air Pollution due to Opencast Coal Mining and It's Control in Indian Context

786-797Open cast mining dominates the coal production scenario in India. It creates more serious air pollution problem in the area. Coal production scenario and its impact on air quality is described. To maintain the energy demand in opencast mining in growing at a phenomenon rate. There is no well-defined method for assessing the impact on air quality due to mining projects. An investigation is conducted to evaluate the impact on air environment due to opencast coal mining. Emission factor data are utilized for computation of dust generation due to different mining activities. Approach for the selection of work zone and ambient air monitoring stations are described. Work zone air quality, ambient air quality, and seasonal variations are discussed, which shows high pollution potential due to SPM. The status of air pollution due to opencast mining is evaluated and its impact on air environment is assessed. Characteristics SPM show a great concern to human health. Air pollution control measures involve planning and implementation of a series of preventive and suppressive measures in addition to dust extraction system. The study reveals that there is a need for wider application of dust control chemicals and an in depth techno-economic survey is essential. Different abatement measures for control of air pollution are enumerated. Air pollution control by trees, trees tolerant to different air pollutants and plant species useful for controlling air pollution is discussed. The methodology adopted could be utilized on industrial scale for various sites