IN what appears to be the fifth mining accident in Pakistan to have occurred this year, six workers were trapped inside a coal mine in Dukki district, Balochistan. Three more fell unconscious from inhaling toxic gas at another coal mine in the nearby Kachhi district. Luckily, the trapped miners in Dukki were extricated after an arduous nine-hour operation carried out by rescue workers and security personnel. Both incidents yet again underscore the dire need for adopting proper safety standards and modern mining methods. Earlier in February, also in Dukki, four miners, three of whom were brothers, perished when part of a mine collapsed. Similarly, three workers died in Harnai in May, and seven others in Degari in March.

The mining industry all over the world has its perils, but in Pakistan this occupation has become a virtual black hole that keeps devouring impoverished individuals who are only there to provide for their families. There are several reasons for this, but all of them stem from the apathetic attitude of successive governments towards the coal-mining industry and its hapless workers. Despite technological advancements around the world, coal-mine operators and owners here do not want to budge from their dangerous, archaic methods of mining. For its part, the government has neglected to regulate and register coal mines and those who work in them; it has also failed to enforce strict safety measures for colliers, let alone invest in safety equipment for rescue workers and inspectors. Unfortunately, a large number of coal mines are operated informally by small or large mafias whose use their influence to keep out government safety inspectors and to avoid giving mandatory compensation to workers’ families in case of injury or death. In 2019 alone, at least 186 coal miners died in different accidents, most of which could have been prevented had proper safety and occupational guidelines been enforced by mine owners and the government. The authorities need to revisit safety procedures and lend a sympathetic ear to miners’ complaints about the dangerous working conditions underground.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2020