Degradation of Soil Quality Parameters Due to Coal Mining Operations in Jharia Coalfield, Jharkhand, India

Coal mining for an area is an economic activity but may lead to degradation of soil quality. Open-cast coal mining operations involved displacement of a large amount of overburden/rock mass materials to excavate the coal for many purposes. In mining areas, the soils are affected by various coal mining operations i.e. blasting, drilling, storage of overburden dump materials, clearing of land, construction of ancillary facilities and movement of vehicles. Various wastes such as heavy metals, inorganic substances, toxic materials and organic substances are released from different process of coal mining operations. The study was conducted during 2009 in six sampling locations of the Jharia coalfield, Dhanbad, Jharkhand state. The study revealed that significant variation in physicochemical parameters of soil due to coal mining operations. The information obtained from this paper helps in knowing about the quality of soil status in Jharia coalfield, Jharkhand state. This paper will focus on the characterization of soil and will discuss the significance of these parameters with an emphasis on N, P, and K.