Risk posed by killer gas must be reduced
China Daily  Updated: 2005-12-09 06:11

A methane gas explosion in Tangshan, Hebei Province claimed the lives of 74 miners on Wednesday, with 32 miners still missing.

China's frequent coal mining accidents can be put down to lousy management and a distorted pricing system, amongst other factors.

In terms of natural conditions, rich methane gas resources play an obvious role. Experts say this is determined by the geological situation and technically is a very difficult problem to solve.

But we should not sit idle. With determination, financial input into equipment upgrading and research and development, some accidents involving this gas could be avoided.

Official statistics show that a third of deadly accidents in State-owned coal mines can be attributed to methane gas.

Many coal mines already have equipment to detect the gas and to expel it. But the technology is still not advanced enough to dispose of the gas before operations in shafts start.

Conscientious coal companies would tell their miners to pause when methane is detected. But the presence of methane does not always result in disaster. This makes many managers and owners that cherish money more than human lives decide to chance it.

It is not uncommon for managers to ignore the presence of methane gas or even cover sensors that are designed to detect it to prevent triggering alarms that would interrupt operations.

In fact, methane gas can actually be useful as a fuel and for other industrial purposes. Coal companies in developed countries long ago introduced technology to draw out methane before letting miners get down to work in shafts. The extracted methane is then put to good use. But this kind of technology is currently expensive.

It is already common knowledge that coal mines are short of money with which to upgrade their safety facilities.

It is natural that small, isolated illegal mines cannot afford or are unwilling to spend money on safety facilities. These mines, of course, should be closed without hesitation.

There are options available for increasing safety in State-owned mines. China's increasing fiscal revenue could be tapped, or the government could consider increasing funds by introducing private investors.

It seems unlikely that hearts of gold could be installed in mine owners and managers. Stricter regulation and supervision would make the situation better, but would not solve every problem.

In terms of lessening the danger posed by methane, we should not hesitate to pursue facility upgrading and input into research with the aim of designing more efficient technology.

(China Daily 12/09/2005 page4)

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