In recent years, coal mine accidents have regularly been happening in different regions of the country. Only in the current month, two mines have collapsed as a result of explosions inside mines in Balochistan killing at least eight miners. On March 15, two workers died when a blast occurred inside a coal mine in Harnai district of the province. Six others were feared trapped inside the mine. Last week, six coal mine workers died in the Marwar coalfields after they remained trapped inside the mine for a whole day following an explosion caused by a toxic gas. Explosions inside coal mines usually occur due to the accumulation of methane gas, and it is for this reason that canary birds are kept inside mines which lose consciousness when methane gas starts accumulating inside mines. This enables miners to evacuate the mine before an explosion occurs. Accidents also happen due to water seepage in mines.
The Pakistan Labour Federation says that on an average 200 workers are killed in mining accidents every year in the country. According to a study, 430 coal mine workers have been killed since 2010, which experts say is an underestimate. This is happening because most coal mines lack proper safety measures as private owners are, reportedly, not bothered about these issues. Mine inspectors are supposed to regularly inspect safety measures inside and outside coal mines but the mafias operating coal mines manage to keep inspectors away from mines. The government too seems to be not paying the required attention to safety issues. Had it done so, the lives of many workers would have been saved; many would have been protected from injuries. Workers also suffer injuries that leave them permanently paralysed.
Adoption of modern mining technologies prevents accidents to a great extent, but in Pakistan mine owners are not serious about employing modern methods of mining nor are the controlling authorities forcing them to adopt safe mining technologies. This is serious negligence.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 17th, 2021.
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