For a century, fires have burned the coal mines in the Indian state of Jharkhand, where a swarm of 100,000 people like Savitri Mahto risk their lives to collect this mineral in the midst of the flames. “The fires charred the land,” the 22-year-old, who illegally collects coal near a large commercial open-pit mine, told AFP. Underground fires, caused according to scientists by a mining accident in 1916, dig chasms in the ground that collapse and swallow everything, both people and homes. According to experts, the fires that occur in the open-cast mines, spread over almost 300 km2, burn millions of tons of coal that produce enormous amounts of CO2. However, efforts to deal with fires through the use of liquid nitrogen and fire breaks remain unsuccessful.

Source: Daily Nation July 16, 2023 06:17 UTC