RAIPUR: A sweeping new study has sounded alarm bells over the devastating environmental toll of coal mining in Chhattisgarh’s Korba district, where forest cover has plunged from 35.56% in 1995 to just 14% in 2024. The findings paint a grim picture of how unchecked mining expansion particularly open-cast operations is stripping the land of its natural resilience and triggering widespread degradation.
Home to 13 operational coal mines and four more in the pipeline, Korba stands at the heart of India’s power ambitions. With coal production expected to peak at 180 million tonnes by 2025, researchers warn that this industrial surge is coming at a profound ecological cost.
The study, led by Dr. Joystu Dutta from Sant Gahira Guru University, revealed that the scale of land use and land cover (LULC) change over nearly three decades has been both dramatic and deeply damaging. Forested and agricultural zones are fast disappearing, giving way to coal mines, urban sprawl, and vast wastelands. The region’s fragile ecology, the researchers argue, is now at serious risk.
“Despite coal’s role in meeting India’s growing energy demand, the environmental trade-off in Korba is too great to ignore,” said Dr. Dutta. “Reclamation strategies have proven insufficient to restore degraded landscapes.”
Co-author Prof. Tarun Thakur of Indira Gandhi National Tribal University highlighted the cascading consequences of this transformation declining biodiversity, reduced water retention, and increased soil erosion. Using remote sensing and geospatial tools, the team developed a Land Degradation Vulnerability Index (LDVI) to assess the environmental fallout, confirming Korba’s alarming ecological vulnerability.
While there have been attempts at mitigation such as afforestation projects the study found these efforts largely symbolic and inadequate in reversing the trajectory of degradation. The socio-environmental toll is especially visible among the tribal communities living near the mines. With over 40% of Korba’s population comprising tribal groups, many already face displacement, pollution, and loss of traditional livelihoods.
The study placed the Korba crisis within a wider national and global context. An estimated 23% of the world land is degraded, while in India, that figure soars to 44% driven by deforestation, unregulated mining, and poorly planned development. The Korba case, the researchers argue, should serve as a warning for other mineral-rich regions across India.
The multi-institutional study brought together experts from Indira Gandhi National Tribal University (Madhya Pradesh), Government Gramya Bharti College (Korba), Biodiversity Research Centre Taipei, National Taiwan Normal University, Sant Gahira Guru University (Chhattisgarh), and HNB Garhwal University (Uttarakhand).
Calling for a recalibration of India’s development model, the authors urge policymakers to adopt more sustainable mining practices, strengthen environmental safeguards, and invest in large-scale restoration projects. Without such measures, they warn, Korba’s coal-fueled progress could soon leave behind a barren and uninhabitable legacy.