Rehabilitation prospects and opportunities for coal mine affected areas of eastern India

Abstract

The coal mined areas require immediate attention for its rehabilitation, if the present situation is allowed to continue, it will degrade air quality, water quality and land productivity. Thus this will not only cause inconvenience to the people but also affect the health and environmental conditions. Hence, to create better condition and environment, one has to consider the various means and ways of rehabilitation, followed by area specific technological interventions. One of the interventions may be the plantations (e.g. afforestation/ reforestation/ agroforestry models). It is evident from earlier studies that, the performances of leguminous species like Acacia catechu, Albizia lebbeck, Dalbergia sissoo and Pongamia pinnata planted on mined areas are better than many others species. Even, bamboos like Dendrocalamus strictus, Bambusa sp., etc. are also found to grow well under such extreme mined situation. Hence, research efforts need to be strengthened further for identification of species with short gestation period suitable for coal mined areas and making available the quality planting material by establishing nursery.