India Releases AAROH Report On Scientific Mine Closure

The Ministry of Coal released AAROH, the Annual Report on Mine Closure, at an event in New Delhi that brought together senior officials, industry representatives, academia and international partners. The release was accompanied by an exhibition that showcased initiatives by Coal India Limited and its subsidiaries, NLC India Limited, Singareni Collieries Company Limited, NTPC and private mining organisations, and demonstrated models of scientific reclamation, ecological restoration and post-mining land use. The programme emphasised community-oriented interventions and the role of structured reclamation in creating environmentally restored and socially beneficial landscapes.

AAROH, prepared by the Coal Controller Organisation, documents the transformation of 42 scientifically closed coal mines and presents each site with closure initiatives, post-mining land-use outcomes and QR code-enabled documentary videos. The publication highlights the evolution of India’s mine closure framework and documents key instruments such as the RECLAIM Framework, the L.I.V.E.S. Framework, the SUVIKALP mine repurposing tool and SUVIKALP Samvaad, positioning the report as a national knowledge repository. This consolidated documentation is intended to guide future mine closure and repurposing efforts through shared best practices and stakeholder engagement.

The Ministry signed an Implementation Agreement with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) for technical cooperation on to-be-closed mines, a project commissioned by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and co-financed by the European Union with a project volume of EUR 10 million (mn) until 2030. The cooperation will run over four years and is aimed at technical capacity building, knowledge exchange and the adoption of global best practices. The partnership was presented as an example of India–Germany and Team Europe collaboration on sustainable development and just transition in mining regions.

The Union Government also inaugurated Coal NEER plants established by Coal India subsidiaries to purify mine discharge into safe bottled drinking water under the Coal Neer brand using RO, UV and CDI technologies while creating livelihood opportunities for local Self-Help Groups. Tripartite MoUs signed by Bharat Coking Coal Limited and the Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority with Hindalco and Rajdhani Universal Fabrics will support rehabilitation, an industry-linked skill centre and a technical textile manufacturing ecosystem. The ministers noted that India has scientifically closed 42 mines, including 33 in the last year, and has set a target of closing 147 more mines over the next two to three years. The Ministry has earmarked 25 per cent of approved mine closure cost for community development, creating an investment potential of Rs 100 bn over the next decade, and has created a dedicated corpus of USD five billion (bn), approximately Rs 400 bn, for scientific and progressive mine closure; coal public sector undertakings supply nearly 30 mn kilolitres of treated mine water annually benefiting 0.3 mn people.