The Ministry of Coal, through its Coal and Lignite Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), namely Coal India Limited (CIL), NLC India Limited (NLCIL), and Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), has been promoting the utilization of treated mine water for drinking, irrigation, and industrial purposes in alignment with relevant environmental and water conservation guidelines. The quality of treated mine water for gainful utilization is guided by the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act, 1986, the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and directives issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and respective State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs). Additionally, Coal/Lignite PSUs have formulated their own standard operating procedures to ensure the safe and effective utilization of treated mine water for various purposes.

To ensure that the treated mine water supplied for drinking purposes meets health and safety standards, various quality control measures are undertaken, including treated mine water is tested periodically by accredited laboratories as per the parameters prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS IS 10500:2012), Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and any other applicable standards. Adequate treatment processes such as sedimentation, filtration, and disinfection are applied before supply.

Efforts are being made to expand mine water management initiatives across all coal and lignite mining states, including Jharkhand. Coal/Lignite PSUs have undertaken projects for gainful utilization of mine water for community use, irrigation, and industrial purposes. In Jharkhand, MoU has been signed between the Government of Jharkhand and Coal India Limited (CIL) to facilitate the utilization of mine water for the benefit of villages located within the command areas of Central Coalfields Limited (CCL), Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), and Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL).

This information was given by Union Minister of Coal and Mines Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.

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Shuhaib T