Cause and effect: Coal mine accidents triggered by absence of monitoring inspector
Rescue in-charge says officials lack adequate education, experience.
About 3.5m tons of coal is imported every year to meet the country’s demand. The rest is met from coal mines in Balochistan. PHOTO: FILE
HANGU:
Locals have attributed the rising number of accidents in coal mines in Orakzai Agency to the absence of a monitoring inspector who can keep a check on inexperienced managers. They have also emphasised the need for a geological survey.
This was said by Fazal Rabi, the rescue in-charge in Frontier Region Kohat, Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency. He was speaking to journalists on Tuesday.
He said an engineer is hired to manage the coal mines while an inspector is expected to maintain checks and balances. However, he said these officials are neither educated nor experienced.
According to Rabi, the owners and contractors of the mines tend to appoint their relatives as inspectors and managers.
“More often than not, these candidates for the posts lack adequate experience,” he said.
Rabi said they are also not trained to use equipment that is provided to workers. The equipment helps workers determine the quantity of gas in the mines.
Rabi maintained there is a large quantity of methane in the 3,000-foot-deep coal mine in Lower Orakzai Agency and carbon dioxide in coal mines in Doli area of Orakzai Agency.
“The gas and oil companies should use the resources so that accidents could be prevented,” he added.
Around 50 trucks of 10 tonnes of coal are distributed from Doli. It is the best kind of coal in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2016.
Locals have attributed the rising number of accidents in coal mines in Orakzai Agency to the absence of a monitoring inspector who can keep a check on inexperienced managers. They have also emphasised the need for a geological survey.
This was said by Fazal Rabi, the rescue in-charge in Frontier Region Kohat, Orakzai Agency and Kurram Agency. He was speaking to journalists on Tuesday.
He said an engineer is hired to manage the coal mines while an inspector is expected to maintain checks and balances. However, he said these officials are neither educated nor experienced.
According to Rabi, the owners and contractors of the mines tend to appoint their relatives as inspectors and managers.
“More often than not, these candidates for the posts lack adequate experience,” he said.
Rabi said they are also not trained to use equipment that is provided to workers. The equipment helps workers determine the quantity of gas in the mines.
Rabi maintained there is a large quantity of methane in the 3,000-foot-deep coal mine in Lower Orakzai Agency and carbon dioxide in coal mines in Doli area of Orakzai Agency.
“The gas and oil companies should use the resources so that accidents could be prevented,” he added.
Around 50 trucks of 10 tonnes of coal are distributed from Doli. It is the best kind of coal in the country.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2016.