Coal is the major source of energy in India, where 66% of the thermal power is generated from different grades of coal. The surging energy demand for domestic and industrial sectors has accelerated coal production through intensive coal mining from existing mines and there is exploration for potential areas across the Country. More than 80% of the coal excavated from open cast mining, which is a damaging form of mining that is often associated with undesirable land use changes, soil degradation, and deforestation and is responsible for other environmental degradation. The present study has been conducted in Manendragarh coal mining area located in northern Chhattisgarh, Central India using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and geospatial tools. LANDSAT-TM and OLI satellite data from 1990 and 2020 were digitally analyzed applying a maximum likelihood supervised classification technique in ERDAS IMAGINE and Arc-GIS platforms. Spatial analysis of satellite data revealed that the area under forest, agriculture-fallow, and waterbodies fell by 14.5%, 12.9%, and 2.52%, respectively, due mainly to conversion into degraded land, while the mining area and built-up areas were proportionally enhanced by 3.2% and 0.59% between 1990 and 2020. The intense mining resulted in deterioration of soil health, where the organic C, pH, and soil depth were considerably decreased in mined sites and degraded lands, compared to agricultural and forest areas. The major determinant biophysical, topographic, and soil factors were integrated in a GIS platform to derive a land degradation vulnerability index (LDVI), which identified five vulnerability classes. The salient findings of study provides the critical inputs for the policy makers/environmentalists in prioritization and decision-making for implementing remedial measures for the eco-restoration of mining degraded landscapes and also the improvement of ecology and environment along with sustainable coal mining.

中文翻译：

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煤炭开采对土地利用动态和土壤质量的影响：通过结合使用层次分析法和地理空间技术评估土地退化脆弱性

煤炭是印度的主要能源，其中 66% 的热电来自不同等级的煤炭。国内和工业部门对能源的需求激增，通过从现有矿山集中开采煤炭加速了煤炭生产，并且在全国范围内对潜在地区进行了勘探。超过 80% 的煤炭来自露天采矿，这是一种破坏性的采矿形式，通常与不良的土地利用变化、土壤退化和森林砍伐有关，并导致其他环境退化。本研究是在位于印度中部恰蒂斯加尔邦北部的 Manendragarh 煤矿区使用层次分析法 (AHP) 和地理空间工具进行的。在 ERDAS IMAGINE 和 Arc-GIS 平台中应用最大似然监督分类技术对 1990 年和 2020 年的 LANDSAT-TM 和 OLI 卫星数据进行了数字分析。卫星数据空间分析显示，森林面积、农田面积和水体面积分别下降14.5%、12.9%和2.52%，主要是退化土地退化所致，而矿区和建成区面积减少。在 1990 年至 2020 年期间，比例分别提高了 3.2% 和 0.59%。密集采矿导致土壤健康恶化，与农业和森林地区相比，矿区和退化土地的有机碳、pH 和土壤深度显着降低。将主要的决定性生物物理、地形和土壤因素集成到 GIS 平台中，得出土地退化脆弱性指数 (LDVI)，其中确定了五个漏洞类别。研究的显着结果为政策制定者/环保主义者在优先考虑和决策实施采矿退化景观的生态恢复和改善生态环境以及可持续煤炭开采的补救措施方面提供了关键投入。