Develop eco-friendly technology for mining: President Kovind

GUWAHATI: President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday called the scientists to develop technology for eco-friendly mining of natural resources to address adverse impact on the environment and push development.

Inaugurating the international conference and exhibition on Energy and Environment: Challenges and Opportunities (ENCO) 2019 on New Delhi, Kovind said it was important for producers and consumers of conventional energy to evolve more efficient and cleaner processes to ensure environment-friendly use of natural resources.

“In today’s era of rapid technological advance, energy and environment are major concerns not only for developing countries but also for developed countries. Global trends show that coal will remain the predominant energy source for most countries, including India, while renewable sources will also grow,” Kovind said.

The conference is being organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India.

Talking about India’s commitment to control carbon emission, which was agreed in the Paris Climate Conference in October 2016, the President said India made a number of commitments expressing its strong desire to control carbon emissions through Nationally Determined Contribution targets. These commitments are: to lower the emissions intensity of GDP by 33 to 35 per cent by 2030, below the 2005 levels, to increase the share of non-fossil based power generation capacity to 40 per cent of installed electric power capacity by 2030 (equivalent to 26 to 30 per cent of generation in 2030), and to create an additional (cumulative) carbon sink through additional forest and tree cover by 2030 6.

“In India, the government is committed to provide power to all citizens at affordable cost as well as boost the national economy through an industrial revolution in tune with Industry 4.0. Therefore, I urge this gathering to come up with actionable ideas on environmental issues related to use of fossil fuels and viable alternatives,” he said.

Kovind said CSIR is known for its cutting edge research and development in diverse areas and is a globally benchmarked organisation. CSIR covers a wide spectrum of science and technology – from physics, oceanography and earth sciences to genomics and biotechnology, and from nanotechnology to mining, materials and environmental engineering. The CSIR-Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad, is internationally acclaimed because of its rich contributions in coal-based, energy-oriented research and for developing safe, productive and sustainable mining methods, he said.

The conference will cover issues such as conventional energy technologies; renewable and non-conventional energy systems; energy storage and devices; sustainable mining technologies; and environmental issues.

Delegates from India and abroad are participating in the conference and would try to formulate key policies and roadmaps. “It is a suitable platform for the international community to disseminate, deliberate and showcase various activities related to energy and environment and discuss research and development opportunities and pathways that could lead to a prosperous, sustainable and secure energy future. I am confident that after the three days’ deliberations it will be possible for this gathering to come out with practical and doable recommendations that can make our planet not only more industrially advanced but also help in creating healthy ecosystems and environments for future generations,” Kovind said.

North East perspective:

The call for technology for environment-friendly mining assumes importance for the Northeast, rich in natural resources such as coal, oil and other minerals.

The issue of haphazard and unscientific mining of coal in Meghalaya hogged the national limelight when 15 coal miners got trapped in a rat hole mine in East Jaintia Hills district on December 13 last year. The rescuers are continuing their search but managed to pull out only one body of the missing miners so far. Environmental activists and policy-makers have stressed on use of environmental friendly technology for mining instead of banning the same as livelihoods of thousands of people are dependent on coal mining in the state. Similarly, better technology is the need of the hour for mining of mineral resources such as limestone and coal in Assam, Meghalaya and rest of the Northeast, in order to check adverse impact on the ecology and environment.

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