46 4. POLLUTION CONTROL AND RESOURCE EFFICIENCY Dust mitigation is a critical element of environmental management in large-scale opencast mining, as mining operations generate significant levels of respirable particulate matter, particularly PM₁₀ and PM₂.₅, which pose risks to occupational health, nearby communities, and ambient air quality. Fixed and mobile water sprinkling systems are extensively deployed along haul roads, coal handling plants, and active working faces to suppress dust at the source by increasing surface moisture and preventing particle entrainment, especially during drilling, loading, and transportation activities where fugitive emissions are most pronounced (CPCB, 2023; MoEF&CC, 2022). The adoption of surface miners further enhances dust control by minimizing or eliminating drilling and blasting operations. Surface miners extract coal through continuous mechanical cutting, resulting in significantly lower dust and vibration levels compared to conventional methods, while also improving resource recovery and operational efficiency (Ghose, 2004; Singh & Dhar, 2019). In addition, in-pit crushing and conveying (IPCC) systems reduce dust generation by replacing long-distance truck haulage with conveyorbased transport. Enclosed conveyors and integrated dust suppression systems further limit particulate release, contributing to improved air quality in mining regions (Dhar et al., 2018; ICMM, 2024). Figure 4 depicted water sprinkling systems at surface miner, CHP and Air pollution control measures at Nigahi OCP, NCL. Figure 4 – Surface Miner with water jets, Gevra OCP, SECL & Air pollution control measures at Nigahi OCP, NCL (Ministry of Coal, 2024: Sustainability in Coal Mines) The First Mile Connectivity (FMC) programme represents a flagship infrastructure initiative of Coal India Limited (CIL) aimed at modernising coal evacuation through end-to-end mechanised material handling systems and silo-based rail loading. As reported, a total of 72 FMC projects, with an aggregate handling capacity of approximately 843 million tonnes per
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