Blackened

The rathole mines are a small hole dug into the earth to reach the coal seam. The mine is so small that even a four foot tall person cannot stand in it. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

The Meghalaya coal is one of the finest quality in terms of calorific value but its disadvantage is the high sulphur content.Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Children are often the preferred loaders as they work for very little wages.Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

The miners are oblivious to the effects of staying in contact with sulphuric acid for long and develop skin infections/reactions. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Typically the mines breaching groundwater table produce sulphuric acid when the sulphur in the coal comes in contact with water, causing acid mine drainage. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

The coal is merely dumped at a number of pre-determined locations only to be picked up by different trucks mostly with a view to transport it out of Meghalaya. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja  

RongJeng mine dug up till the fresh coal seam, ready to be mined. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

NH-62 in East Garo Hills presents where coal loading/unloading happens without any regulatory control. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

The miners do mention how the yellow liquid in the mines corrodes their skin. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Do not cut any tree or bamboo from the Ballupara reserve. Violation of this will be fined as follows: one quintal of rice, one adult cow and Rs 500. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

The coal loading, unloading, dumping and transport are not recorded anywhere officially. Any check-post, or weighing station are absent. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja  

A typical rat hole miner manages to dig out about one truck of coal everyday fetching him anywhere between Rs.600-1200. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

With trucks lined up for kilometers on roads for rampant loading/unloading, this is what the highway looks like – black. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja 

Two local miners show the trail to a rat hole mine in RongJeng. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

A number of horizontal holes run close to each other in the vertical face of a hill/pit making the region extremely prone to subsidence. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Different grades of coal are piled separately and form most of the landscape. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Some rat hole mines in Meghalaya, like this one in Ballupara, also breach the ground water table.Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja

Coal dust covered trees are a common site in coal mining regions of the state in the absence of compliance with environmental norms. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja  

Laden with sulphuric acid deposits, this is what the out stream from these mines looks like. Photograph by: Sugandh Juneja