Mines told to take precautions after two mishaps
PTI, PANAJI | 22 July 2011 22:42 IST
Following two mining mishaps, the Mines and Geology Department has asked all the 100-odd mines in Goa to take adequate precautions considering heavy rains in the state.
Mines and Geology Director Arvind Lolienkar today said the mining firms have been asked to take abundant precautions to prevent accidents.
In two separate incidents, three people had died in Goa in the last few weeks.
The farms of Mulgao village were flooded after tailing dam of a mine owned by Sesa Goa collapsed last week.
The first accident, in which three persons were killed last month, involved a mine owned by a local firm, Fomento Resources Ltd.
Lolienkar said usually the mining operations stop during the monsoons as the pits overflow with water, making the excavation activity difficult and potentially dangerous.
The department, which had conducted inspection of Sesa Goa's damaged mining site, had concluded that "it was not just rains but also technical flaws that resulted in the collapse".
Sesa Goa had ruled out any fault on their part, saying it was 200 mm rains in 8 hours that resulted in the collapse.
"Despite following best mine management practices, owing to the extraordinarily heavy rains that the state received recently, a settling pond breached," a Sesa Goa spokesman said, referring to the mishap at Mulgao on July 16.
