Energy and Environment Research; Vol. 6, No. 2; 2016 ISSN 1927-0569 E-ISSN 1927-0577 Published by Canadian Center of Science and Education 52 Identification of Land Subsidence and Management Using Cadastral Techniques, Mining Area of Raniganj, Barddhaman District, India Sonjay Mondal 1 , Debashish Chakravarty 2 , Jatisankar Bandyopadhyay 1 & Kunal Kanti Maiti 1 1 Department of Remote Sensing & GIS, Vidyasagar University, Midnapore-721102, West Bengal, India 2 Department of Mining Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721302, West Bengal, India Correspondence: Sonjay Mondal, Department of Remote Sensing & GIS, Vidyasagar University, West Bengal, India. E-mail: sonjaymondal@gmail.com Received: March 5, 2016 Accepted: March 20, 2016 Online Published: December 3, 2016 doi:10.5539/eer.v6n2p52 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/eer.v6n2p52 Abstract Coal mining, open cast/ underground adversely affects the Eco-system. Raniganj area known as mining zone, but several time natural hazards (land subsidence) occurs in the area, Subsidence in old workings leads to severe damage to surface structures. It is very much important that suitable assessment studies to learn the potential adverse impact of mining on environmental ecosystem (flora, fauna). In the subsequent discussions an attempt has been made to clarify the coal mining activities and its outstanding impact on environment and agricultural activities. The study area region being the foremost coal producing region country, it’s also ranked high in the list of environmentally degraded areas, in mining area have seen that waste materials are usually stacked as huge dumps in surroundings. After that those dumps were coupled with coal dumps, because this significant effect impact on land. The environmental awareness is given our society brought life from mining area another concerted effort for reclamation of the subsided land. Keywords: mining, subsidence, cadastral, borehole, environment 1. Introduction Raniganj coalfield, the birthplace of the Indian coal industry that ushered in coal mining activities in this country in the late eighteenth country, still holds a place of pride amongst the Indian coalfields being a storehouse of different types of coal. Raniganj is practically the sole repository of superior quality, high volatile, non coking coal, the resources of which are scanty in this country. The stupendous resource of solid fossil fuel had been the rich pasture for the fortune seekers dealing with this merchandise leading to the growth of mining industry vis-a-vis rapid industrialization of the country (Mondal et al, 2014). Cadastral provide the total assessment of land degradation recorded due to mining activity and its mitigation measures (Govind et al., 2013). This Paper focuses on the related issues in the rural areas of Raniganj coalfield of Barddhaman district. The investigation helps to take proper decisions based on the proposed model of analysis of the social and geo-environmental hazards associated with the different mining operations in the study area. Demarcation of subsidence area and their information using cadastral layout for supporting the borehole map have elevation, location with respect to geological condition of the study and finally land planning of mining area. 2. Study Area The Gondwana basins of peninsular India, being generally restricted in the east-central part of our country, are disposed along well-defined linear belts of Damodar-Koel, Son-Mahanadi, Narmada and Pranhita-Godavari valleys besides the Rajmahal basin. Raniganj coalfield is the easternmost member of the Damodar-Koel valley basin belt. Its limits are bounded by the latitudes 23 0 22' and 23 0 52'N and longitudes 86 0 30'E and 87 0 30'E. This coalfield forms parts of Survey of India toposheet no. 73M/2. Figure 1 showing the location map of the study area. Raniganj area, geographically major portion of the coalfield area located in state of west Bengal, only the comparatively shallower northwestern part spilling over in state of Jharkhand. Lion’s share of the West Bengal part covers part of Barddhaman district with the northern, southern and south-western fringe area falling in the districts of Birbhum, Bankura and Purulia respectively (Mondal et al, 2014). The entire area covering Raniganj coalfield is very well connected. The main line of the eastern Railway, joining Kolkata and Delhi, traverses through the middle of the coalfield. Important railway stations and industrial towns