Jharia

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Jharia | type = city | latd = 22.3 | longd = 86.7
locator_position = right | state_name = Jharkhand
district = Dhanbad
leader_title =
leader_name =
altitude = 77
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 81,979| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone =
postal_code =
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes = [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/38/Jharia2.html]

Jharia city, is a notified area and one of eight development blocks [ [http://dhanbad.nic.in/links/dhanbad.htm Development Blocks in Dhanbad district] ] in Dhanbad district in Jharkhand state of India.

Geography

Jharia is located at coord|22.3|N|86.7|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/38/Jharia.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 76m (Red dots in distance are railways)] ] or coord|23.75|N|86.40|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/38/Jharia2.html FallingRain Map - elevation = 165m (Red dots are railways)] ] . It has an average elevation of 77 metres (252 feet).

Namesake

More than one town in India share this name.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [GR|India] Jharia had a population of 81,979. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Jharia has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 74%, and female literacy is 60%. In Jharia, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

City

Jharia is the fifteen largest town, in the state of Jharkhand [ [http://world-gazetteer.com/gg.php?lng=en&men=gcis&geo=-1866 Jharkhand cities and town, world-gazetteer.com] ] and is a major coalfield in the state of Jharkhand, eastern India.

The coalfield lies in the Damodar River Valley, and covers about 110 square miles (280 square km), and produces bituminous coal suitable for coke. Most of India's coal comes from Jharia. Jaria coal mines are India's most important storehouse [ [http://www.edugreen.teri.res.in/EXPLORE/n_renew/jharia.htm The Jharia coal field fire] ] of prime coke coal used in blast furnaces, it consists of 23 large underground and nine large open cast mines.

The mining activities in these coalfields started in 1894 and had really intensified in 1925. The mines were nationalized in 1971, and due to easy availability of coal, many steel plants are set up in close proximity to Jharia. Many steel companies such as Tata Steel, IISCO, SAIL have taken coal field on lease in Jharia.

Jharia Coalmine fire

Jharia is also famous for a coal field fire that has burned underground for nearly a century. The history of coal-mine fire in the Jharia coal field can be traced back to 1916 when the first fire was detected . In 1972, more than 70 mine fires are reported from this region.

More than 400 thousands people who reside in Jharia are sitting atop subsidence volcano, and according to Brinda Karat, "Jharia township is on the brink of an ecological and human disaster." [ [http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=ab7c12d5-2837-4b87-804c-2649fd1a7413&MatchID1=4627&TeamID1=1&TeamID2=6&MatchType1=1&SeriesID1=1165&PrimaryID=4627&Headline='Declare+Jharia+fire+a+national+disaster' Hindustan Times, December 15, 2007] ] , and the government has been criticized for its lackadaisical attitude [ [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V8C-4C4W52H-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=5d2c09a9fa7df30fb2b5ded8c3002a7c The Jharia mine fire control technical assistance project: an analysis, April 2004] ] towards the safety of the people of Jharia, who live under constant danger [ [http://www.hindu.com/mag/2006/08/27/stories/2006082700070500.htm "Inside Coal Mine Fires", a documentary, 2005] ] and amidst heavy fumes emitted by the raging fires [ [http://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2007AM/finalprogram/abstract_132434.htm ESTIMATION OF GAS EMISSIONS FROM SHALLOW SUBSURFACE COAL FIRES IN JHARIA COALFIELD] ] , which leads to severe health problems like breathing disorders and skin diseases, amongst the local population [ [http://www.indiatogether.org/2006/nov/hlt-mining.htm In the line of fire, indiatogether.org] ] .

Jharia shifting

According to the state government, the town of Jharia is to be shifted due to the uncontrollable coal mine fires, which have found to be undousable, leading to loss of property as well as lives in the city.

Further more, Coal worth Rs. Rs 60,000 crore is lying unutilised and the state government feels the shifting will help utilizing the resource, which is not being mined due to fear of displacement [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1941479.cms Jharia to be shifted, The Times of India, 31 Aug 2006] ] .

Further reading

* Reinventing Jharia Coalfield. Edited by N.C. Saxena, Gurdeep Singh, K.N. Singh and B.N. Pan. Jodhpur, Scientific, 2005, vi, 246 p.. ISBN 81-7233-398-6.

References

External links

* [http://dhanbad.nic.in/links/jharia.htm Official data on Jharia Block]
* [http://dhanbad.nic.in/maps.htm Official map of Dhanbad district]

The Jharia coal field fire

The Jharia coalfield in Bihar is an exclusive storehouse of prime coke coal in the country, consisting of 23 large underground and nine large open cast mines. The mining activities in these coalfields started in 1894 and had really intensified in 1925. The history of coal-mine fire in Jharia coalfield can be traced back to 1916 when the first fire was detected. At present, more than 70 mine fires are reported from this region.

Coal, a non-renewable source of energy, is found in several parts of the world. The coal layers are mined by two methods: open cast mining and underground mining. Coal is formed from organic matter with a high carbon content, which when exposed to certain conditions (temperature, moisture, oxygen etc.) tends to ignite/ burn spontaneously at rather low temperatures. This may occur naturally or the combustion process may be triggered by other causes.

However, once a coal seam catches fire, and efforts to stop it an early stage fail, it may continue to burn for tens to hundreds of years, depending primarily on the availability of coal and oxygen. Coal fires have occurred in nearly all parts of the world like India, the US, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, China, Germany and many other countries. However, the nature and magnitude of the problem differs from country to country. In India, the fire in the Jharia coalfield has mainly been due to unscientific mining and extraction of coal in the past.

Fires may occur in coal layers that are exposed to the surface of the earth or areas close to it. These are visible to the naked eye. Also, fires erupt in the underground seams, which have large cracks that serve as channels for oxygen to the burning coal. The main cause of natural coal fires are lightening, forest fires, bush fires, etc. Among human causes are accidents, negligent acts, domestic fires, lighting fires in abandoned underground mines for heating or distilling alcohol etc. Besides, burning away of an important energy resource, it creates problems for exploitation of coal, poses danger to humankind, raises the temperature of the area, and when present underground, can cause land to subside.

The pollution caused by these fires affects air, water, and land. Smoke, from these fires contains poisonous gases such as oxides and dioxides of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, which along with particulate matter are the causes of several lung and skin diseases. High levels of suspended particulate matter increase respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis and asthma, while the gases contribute to global warming besides causing health hazards to the exposed population. Methane emission from coal mining depends on the mining methods, depth of coal mining, coal quality and entrapped gas content in the coal seams. These fires also pollute water by contaminating it and increasing its acidity, which is due to a certain percentage of sulphur that is present in coal. These fires lead to degradation of land and does not allow any vegetation to grow in the area.

The measures for controlling coal mine fires, in the case of Jharia coalfields, include bull dozing, leveling and covering with soil to prevent the entry of oxygen and to stabilize the land for vegetation. Fire fighting in this area requires relocation of a large population, which poses to be a bigger problem than the actual fire fighting operations.

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