Day 22: High water level in coal pit hinders Meghalaya miners rescue operations

The divers of the Navy and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were not able to resume the search operation for the 15 trapped miners as they could not go inside due to the high water level.

Asked if the divers would take another chance later in the day, operation spokesperson R Susngi told PTI that they would wait, but there was a remote chance of the water level reducing so soon.

Odisha firefighters on Thursday resumed dewatering a shaft near the main shaft of a coal mine in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district where 15 miners have been trapped since December 13.

"Odisha firefighters resumed pumping out water at 10 a.m. from the shaft which they dewatered on Wednesday," spokesperson Reginald Susngi said.

He said the water level at the shaft, which had receded by 1.4 feet on Wednesday, had increased again on Thursday morning.

"To tackle this problem, the firefighters will operate one more pump to boost the dewatering process," Susngi said.

India's leading pump manufacturer, Kriloskar Brothers Ltd (KBL), which was roped in by Thailand government in rescuing 12 young Thai footballers and their coach from a flooded cave, has joined in with four specialised high-capacity dewatering pumps.

Meanwhile, the high-powered submersible pump from Coal India is yet to begin work, three days after it arrived at the site. Preparation is still going on to get the pump operational, Susngi said.

The spokesperson had said divers would resume operation once the water level at the main shaft decreases to about 100 feet from its current level of over 160 feet.

Authorities said there were at least 90 abandoned mine shafts in the area and they were full of water. Rescuers believe that these nearby mines might be interconnected and draining out water in these mines could help in reducing the water level in the main shaft.  

The accident inside the coal pit on December 13 morning occurred despite the National Green Court (NGT) ordering an interim ban on 'rat-hole' coal mining in the state from 2014.

Coal mine accidents are common in the mountainous state because of unscientific mining procedure, commonly known as "rat hole mining".