STUDY ON THE EFFECT OF COAL MINE TO THE SURROUNDING SOIL PROPERTIES OF BARAPUKURIA DINAJPUR

Abstract

Coal mining contamination poses an immense risk to the environment and underlying soil. The main objective of this research was to determine the consistency and deviation of soil quality around Barapukuria coal mine in Parbatipur, Dinajpur. Soil samples were collected from five different locations based on the Regional Land and Soil Resources Utilization Guide of SRDI during summer in 2019. Each sample was separated for the measurement of 12 chemical properties including pH, Organic Matter (OM), Nitrogen (N), available Phosphorus (P), exchangeable Potassium (K), available Sulfur (S), exchangeable Calcium (Ca), exchangeable Magnesium (Mg), Copper (Cu), Iron (Fe), Manganese (Mn) and Zinc (Zn). Nitrogen (N), exchangeable Potassium (K), available Phosphorus (P) and available Sulfur (S) were determined by modified micro Kjeldahl method, Ammonium acetate method, stannous chloride method, and Ion Chromatography, respectively. On the other hand, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn were determined by DTPA-extraction method at a soil DTPA ratio of 1:2 using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. Data were analyzed by using MS Excel and SPSS software. Results indicated that many of the soil nutrient levels increased in 2019 in comparison with 1999 such as pH (5.28 to 5.70), OM (2.16 to 3.21%), N (0.047 to 0.067 ppm), K (0.41 to 4.12 meq 100g-1), S (16.75 to 31.17 ppm), Mg (1.62 to 6.73 meq 100g-1), Fe (202.67 to 303.50 ppm), Mn (13.11 to 27.40 ppm) and Zn (13.11 to 27.40 ppm). With the increase of time, the average content of Ca (4.15 to 5.74 meq 100g-1) and Cu (0.13 to 0.46 ppm) were decreased whereas the available P did not change much. From the analysis of soil samples it has been identified that several important chemical parameters that is necessary for agriculture are deviated from the Standard Reference value. It is due to the poor infrastructure of coal stock pile and improper disposal of mine water. The findings of this research help us to assess the level of soil contamination in the region of the Barapukuria coal mine.