Determination of Soil Pollution Index and Soil Infiltration Rates in Some Non-fire and Fire Areas of Jharia Coal Field

Abstract

Jharia coalfield is a major source of prime coking coal in India. This coalfield has witnessed unparallel fire problems since 1916 affecting seams IV to XVII. At present there are as many as 65 active mine fires spread over 17.32 sq. km areas affecting the micro and macro environment adversely. The impact of mine fires has been noticed on all segments of environment viz. air, water and land. This paper discusses the variations in trace elements concentration in top soil and soil infiltration rates in some fire affected coal mines vis-a-vis areas not affected by fire. Soil pollution index was also calculated for each of the study areas taking into consideration the critical concentration of different trace elements in the soil. The soil in fire areas showed higher concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cd, Cr and Ni and lower values of B and Mo compared to non-fire and intermediate fire areas. As, Hg and Se were absent in soil of all the stations. Based on the trace element study and soil pollution index, it can be concluded that non-fire areas are slightly polluted, whereas intermediate and active fire areas are moderately polluted. In addition, the soil infiltration rates are higher in fire areas compared to non-fire and intermediate fire areas.