In a bid to strengthen environmental stewardship, Eastern Coalfields Limited has deployed AI-driven drone monitoring as part of a comprehensive scientific reclamation and green cover assessment initiative with the objective of decreasing coal dust pollution.
The initiative has been taken up at the Sonepur Bazari Area of ECL, which generates significant profits through extensive Open Cast mining since 1996. Through the adoption of advanced digital tools and rigorous scientific research, ECL is committed to environmental compliance, sustainable mining practices, besides transparent environmental governance, officials said. The initiative establishes a new benchmark for the application of digital technologies in ecological restoration within the mining sector.
According to Satish Jha, chairman-cum-managing director of the Coal India subsidiary, “We will conduct high-resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicle surveys and advanced geo-spatial analytics to objectively evaluate plantation performance and ecological restoration across reclaimed mining land. This is aimed to properly demarcate all coordinates and surface features of the mine area.”
The study is being conducted by the Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research (CIMFR), a central scientific research laboratory, “using methodologies that include drone-based orthomosaic mapping (which is a highly detailed, geometrically corrected aerial image that stitches together many overlapping photos from drones into one large, distortion-free picture), GIS and GPS-enabled spatial validation, vegetation health analysis through scientific indices, and ecological surveys for robust ground-truthing (process of verifying data from drone footage),” the senior official said.
Anand Mohan, general manager, Pandaveswar Area that operates the open cast mine, said: “Their first phase drone-based survey has already been completed, but we are yet to get the primary survey data.” This integrated approach enables precise, transparent and data-driven assessment of plantation survival rates, canopy development, species composition, spatial distribution and overall reclamation success, he explained.
The convergence of AI and UAV technologies significantly enhances accuracy, scalability and consistency in environmental monitoring, supporting decision-making related to future mine closure planning and long-term ecological management.
The Pandaveswar Area accommodates a total forest land of 240.93 hectares, besides social forestry cover on 477 hectares. The area, as per its previous plans, was to undergo plantation on 182 hectares of backfill and on 68 hectares on overburden soil excavated to reach the underground coal seams. Backfill is a process of filling the empty, mined-out underground spaces with mine wastes, ash and paste slurry.