The Economic and Environmental Impact of India’s Overburden Framework
The recently introduced framework for managing overburden (OB) waste in India’s coal sector represents a pivotal shift toward sustainable mining practices. Developed by the High Power Expert Committee (HPEC) with input from five central ministries, including NITI Aayog, the initiative marks a departure from traditional methods of waste disposal. Overburden—the soil, rock, and minerals typically discarded during mining operations—is now being reconsidered as a valuable economic resource rather than a liability. This "Whole Mining" approach demonstrates how OB can be integrated into the economic value chain through value-added processes, particularly by converting it into manufactured sand (M-Sand). M-Sand is increasingly used in construction, offering a viable alternative to the environmentally damaging extraction of river sand. The ability to transform mining waste into an essential construction material not only reduces the ecological impact of waste disposal but also addre...