RAIPUR: A new research study has revealed alarming levels of land degradation and a sharp decline in forest cover in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, India’s largest coal and power-producing region.
The findings underscore how the relentless expansion of coal mining, particularly open-cast operations, has drastically transformed the region’s landscape, triggering severe ecological consequences.
The scientists behind the study acknowledged that coal mining is critical to meeting India's rising energy needs, but stressed that this industrial growth has come at an enormous environmental cost in Korba.
The district currently has 13 operational coal mines, with four more in the pipeline. Coal production in Korba is expected to peak at 180 million tonnes by 2025.
“Our study addressed the lack of comprehensive understanding regarding the scale of LULC (Land Use and Land Cover) changes caused by coal mining in the Korba region from 1995 to 2024. Simultaneously, an enduring existence of insufficient reclamation strategies remains in restoring degraded landscapes,” said Dr Joystu Dutta, Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Sant Gahira Guru University, Ambikapur.
The study found that forest cover in Korba had declined dramatically. from 35.56 per cent in 1995 to just 14 per cent in 2024, alongside a significant increase in coal mining zones and wastelands.
Prof Tarun Thakur from Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, Amarkantak, said: “The transformation of natural landscapes has led to severe implications for ecological services, reduced water retention, increased soil erosion and depleting biodiversity.”
The researchers documented widespread land degradation and habitat destruction, as forested and agricultural lands were converted into mining sites and urban settlements.
Using remote sensing data and geospatial analysis, the study precisely quantified the scale of land degradation and evaluated environmental vulnerability through the Land Degradation Vulnerability Index (LDVI).
Although reclamation activities such as plantations have been undertaken, the study revealed that these efforts have not been adequate to reverse the overall trend of environmental degradation.
The researchers also highlighted the social impacts, stating that the negative effects of mining are particularly visible in the lives of those residing near mining zones in Korba, one of NITI Aayog’s ‘Aspirational Districts’, with a tribal population exceeding 40 per cent.
The study pointed out that globally, 23 per cent of land resources are affected by degradation. In India, this figure stands at 44 per cent, largely due to deforestation, excessive mining, rapid industrialisation, and unsustainable land use practices.
The findings called for stronger environmental policies, more sustainable mining methods, and real action to strike a balance between India’s energy requirements and the preservation of its ecosystems.
The multi-institutional study was carried out by researchers and scientists from the Department of Environmental Science, Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (Madhya Pradesh), Government Gramya Bharti College (Korba), Biodiversity Research Centre Taipei, National Taiwan Normal University, Sant Gahira Guru Sarguja Vishwavidyalaya (Chhattisgarh), and the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, HNB Garhwal University (Uttarakhand).