Neyveli Lignite Corporation mines lignite through open cast techniques in Neyveli, Tamil Nadu. While mining eliminates vegetation and alters the landscape, NLC has taken measures to minimize environmental impacts and reclaim mined land. NLC monitors air and water quality, controls dust, noise and vibrations, and stabilizes slopes. It also plants trees, manages groundwater, and practices integrated farming to restore mined areas to productive after-uses. NLC's early investment in sustainable practices has allowed it to grow steadily while protecting the environment.

2. 0 Environmental
degradation is a fall out of
industrialisation.
0 Air and water quality has
gone down, noise levels
have increased and flora
and fauna affected.

3. 0Mining is an important industry for
economic development but operation of the
mines may harm surrounding environment
as well as to the population
0The lignite deposits in South India were
found extensively in late 1930’s while
drilling for irrigation purposes.
042 billion tonnes of lignite were found, in
which 80% was from Tamil Nadu.
Mining

4. 0 India is one of the top ten brown coal producers in
the world.
0 Geological Survey of India (GSI) proved the lignite
resources in Neyveli in 1943.
0 In 1956, Govt. of India formed Neyveli Lignite
Corporation Limited for commercial exploitation of
lignite.
0 Its core business is lignite mining and Thermal
Power generation.

6. Unique features
0 The unique feature of NLC is its steady growth,
along with protecting the environment and
maintaining ecological balance.
0 Instead of cleaning up and restoration of ecosystem
destruction or human health effects, NLC
investment into sustainable practices which saved
money in the long role.

7. Environmental impact of
mining operations
0 Lignite mining at Neyveli is carried out by open cast
mining techniques with high mechanization for
excavation, transportation and disposal.
0 Lignite covered by overburden (thickened clays and
sand stones), and they are removed using bucket
wheel excavators, conveyors, tripper cars.
0 Mining operation is a continuous process and the
overburden soil removed is filled in the de-coaled
area.
0 Neyveli being an artesian area, exert an upward
thrust which is compensated by depressurizer

8. Bucket wheel excavator

9. 0Mining eliminates,
0 Existing vegetation
0 Destroy genetic soil profile
0 Disturb wildlife and habitant
0 Alters current land uses
0 Permanently change the general topography of
the area mined.
0 Reduces biodiversity

10. Dust
0 Thus removal of
vegetative cover and
stockpiling of overburden
increases the quantity of
dust around mining area.
0 The major dust
emanating sources are
due to movement of
crawler equipments like
dozer, pipe layer, mobile
cranes and transport
vehicles plying through
the haul roads.

11. Dust suppression
0 Excavation is done by using sharp teeth BWE
0 Using sharp drill bits for blast hole drilling.
0 Spraying water on roads and outside surfaces
through mobile tankers or sprinklers for quenching
dust.
0 Providing protective respirators and masks to the
operators, who are working in dusty areas.
0 Also in thermal stations, stack heights are also
high so as to dispose gases like SO2 and NO2.
0 Electrostatic precipitators have been installed to
remove the ash particles from the outgoing flue
gas.

13. 0 The main problem in mining area is compounded with the
factor that blasting is done for loosening the soil to relieve
pressure.
0 This blasting creates disturbance and transmits vibration
to the nearby building.
0 However, as the soil is wet and the high overburden dumps
are on the mine periphery, the effect of vibration in the
township is not so keenly felt.
0 Regular monitoring is performed to minimize the
vibration by controlled blasting using latest electronic
detonators.
Ground vibration

14. Noise control
0 Noise level is generally kept below the permissible
level (85dB for 8 hours)
0 Noise created by the machineries are muffed with
silencers to modulate noise to tolerable level.
0 Other measures,
0 Reduced exposure time for workmen
0 Checking noise level periodically
0 Thick tree belts are provided around the periphery of
the mine

15. Land reclamation
0 Excavation of soil for the purpose of extracting
lignite are pre-requisite for mining operation.
0 As NLC has acquired several hectares of land for
mining, it has planned for refilling and reclamation
of mined out area.
0 The soil excavated is backfilled in dumps and slopes
is stabilized by conventional mining equipments.
0 The refilled land in reclaimed for agriculture,
horticulture, development of forestry, etc..

17. 0 The sustainable integration of different agriculturally
related enterprises such as grain crops, commercial
crops, vegetables, flowers, medicinal plants, fodder
crops, fruit trees, etc., with animal components such as
cattle, birds, goats, aquaculture, etc., bio-gas
generation, azolla and mushroom cultivation, provides
ways to recycle products and by-products of one
component serves as input to another linked component
and reduce the cost of production.
0 Further this farming system approach helps to sustain
crop productivity in mine spoil with increased
profitability and employment generation. Cattle rearing
through Integrated farming System
Integrated farming systems
(IFS)

18. Slope stabilisation
0 The external dump over created during initial
opening of mines cause a lot of environmental
problems.
0 In order to fulfil social obligation, spoil dump over
are supposed to be converted to vegetative ones
making it fit for habitation.
0 In order to have proper moisture on the slopes, drip
irrigation system has been deployed and the slopes
are being stabilized.

20. Ground water management
0 To depressurize the deep aquifer below the lignite
ground, several quantity of ground water is to be
pumped out and diverted to thermal power plant
lakes for industrial use.
0 Over the years, by implementation of new methods,
pumping out of ground water have been reduced
considerably.

21. 0 Around 18.9 million trees have been planted in and
around Neyveli Township and Production Units
which helps in maintaining clean environment,
dust suppression, noise control, lowering the
atmospheric temperature and maintaining
ecological balance.

23. Ambient air quality (AAQ)
monitoring
0 13 permanent AAQ have been installed in and
around Neyveli to figure out pollutants.
0 The AAQ measured values were compared with
central pollution control board, and they were all
found to be within limits.

24. Effluent monitoring
0 Effluent discharges from the mines are periodically
(monthly) collected and analysed to assess the
effluent quality to meet the Standards prescribed
by State Pollution Control Board.

25. Water monitoring
0 The underground
water from dug wells in
and neyveli is been
checked thoroughly
every quarter.
0 A number of check
dams have been
constructed for
effective harvesting
and recharging of rain
water.

26. 0 Mining of lignite causes pollution of Environment and
ecological damage if unattended.
0 Being conscious that environmental regeneration is the
foundation on which Productivity has to be built, N.L.C.
started investing on Eco Care long back and it continues.
0 Early investment in Environment protection has
resulted in steady growth.
0 NLC’s futuristic vision on environmental management
system is becoming a symbolic role model for any of the
opencast mines in the South-East Asia.