Singareni Collieries Company Limited Rushes Tank Works Amid Villagers’ Backlash
Villagers recently took their concerns to officials at the Telangana State Pollution Control Board’s regional office in Nizamabad, urging them to withhold environmental clearance for the mine expansion.
ADILABAD: Facing mounting opposition from villagers over the extension and opening of coal mines, the Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) has launched efforts to recharge groundwater and address drinking and irrigation water shortages in affected areas near its mining operations.
Residents in several villages surrounding opencast mines have long complained that coal excavation—often reaching depths of 400 to 500 metres—has caused a sharp decline in the groundwater table. Natural water streams and springs, they allege, are being diverted into the mining pits, drying up local sources. These concerns have intensified across the coal belt in the erstwhile Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam districts.
Recently, villagers from Akenapalli, Lingapur, Old Bellampalli, Batwanpalli, Perkapalli and Gurajala strongly opposed the proposed extension of the Shanthikhani Longwall Project (underground coal mine), located just 3 km from Bellampalli town in Mancherial district. They cited fears of water scarcity, environmental pollution and damage to agricultural lands.
In the backdrop of the groundwater table depleting with coal mines and people’s opposition to extension and new opencast mines, SCCL is implementing groundwater restoration works under its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative. The company has launched the Neeti Binduvu Jala Sindhuvu programme, under which it is constructing 62 new tanks and desilting 40 existing tanks across 12 coal-mining regions.
Specifically, SCCL is building 10 mini tanks in the Mandamarri area, while similar works are underway in the Srirampur and Bellampalli zones of the Mancherial district. Company officials hope the tanks will fill during the monsoon and significantly boost the groundwater table in nearby villages.
Villagers recently took their concerns to officials at the Telangana State Pollution Control Board’s regional office in Nizamabad, urging them to withhold environmental clearance for the mine expansion.
Singathi Satyanarayana, a member of the Shanthikhani Longwall Project Vyathirekha Porata Committee, said the project would irreparably harm local ecosystems, affect crop yields and aggravate drinking water shortages. He acknowledged that SCCL officials had assured villagers of water conservation measures, including the tank works, as part of the mitigation plan.
SCCL chairman N. Balram Naik has directed officials to complete all tank construction and desilting works by May 15. He also ordered protective fencing around the tanks to ensure their longevity and safeguard them from encroachment or misuse.