Water to earnings: How coal is turning on taps across India

Hundreds of abandoned mines have become reservoirs holding water that experts say is safe to use. Communities are now betting on them, not only for domestic supply, but also to drive livelihoods Communities and officials grappling with the problem of tapped water supply in coal-belt states are courting an unlikely ally to bring about a change of fortune: abandoned coal mine pits. Hundreds of such pits have turned into reservoirs filled with water, emerging as a simple solution in areas that have only known perennial shortage. Though the idea is not new, the Centre is finally doubling down on it, identifying more than a hundred such pits to ease water woes across six states. The concerted push is the outcome of a recent study — the first of its kind — by the Ranchi-based Central Mine