# Jharia Coalfield — Underground Fires Burning Since 1916

**URL:** https://thecodex.expert/energy/mines/jharia/
**Session:** 27 | **Date:** 2026-05-05

## Summary

Jharia Coalfield (23.76N 86.42E), Dhanbad, Jharkhand. India's only significant prime coking coal deposit — essential for India's steel industry. Geological reserves ~19.4 Gtonnes (GSI). Production ~30-35 MT/yr (BCCL). Underground fires burning since 1916 (~108 years) across ~9 km², 68 active fires. Fire temperatures 400°C+ underground. Coal consumed by fire ~0.5-1 MT/yr (permanently lost). Population above fire zones ~250,000-400,000. Belgarhia resettlement colony (23.80N 86.40E) built for ~90,000 families — ~20-25,000 relocated as of 2024, remainder resisting relocation. Jharia Master Plan (2007, CMPDI) chronically underfunded. Fires cannot be extinguished — only managed. India's steel industry (125 MT/yr crude steel, 2023, WSA) partly depends on this coking coal mixed with imports from Australia's Bowen Basin. Sources: BCCL AR 2023, CMPDI JRDP, CSE India 2021, Jharkhand High Court.