Development of the Method of Simultaneous Backfilling in Highly Inclined and Deep Opencast Mines: A Case Study of India

Opencast mines are the prime source of coal production in India. Due to the increase in coal demand, the digging of mines has also simultaneously escalated. The huge quantity of overburden materials are being generated in the mining areas where land is at a premium. It has become very difficult to find enough land to store this waste. For highly inclined and deep opencast mines, dumping in the surrounding land and minimization of re-handling of the material of old dumps for further mining activities is to be avoided. Attempts are made to develop methods of simultaneous backfilling techniques of operational, highly inclined, and deep opencast mines to avoid dumping in the surrounding land and minimization of re-handling of the material of old dumps for further mining activities. The present paper discusses the designs of environmentally sustainable retaining wall for simultaneous backfilling of operational, highly inclined, and deep opencast mines.