Imagine walking on ground so hot that it could melt the soles of your shoes. Smoke leaks out from the cracks in your bedroom floor. This is not a scene from a dystopian movie, but the daily life of the residents of Jharia, Jharkhand. Jharia, known internationally as the burning city of India, is built on one of the largest coal reserves in the world. The problem? It’s been burning since 1916.
A raging underground fire, burning for more than 100 years, has been eating into high-grade coking coal, turning a land of riches into a precarious furnace. What we find as we enter the riddle of the burning city is an eerie intersection of industrial necessity and a slow-motion environmental catastrophe that continues to confound experts and residents alike.
Which city is known as the Burning City of India?
The town of Jharia, located in the Dhanbad district of Jharkhand, is famously known as the Burning City of India. It earned this grim moniker because of the massive underground coal field fires that have been raging beneath the surface for more than a century.
| Feature | Details |
| Location | Dhanbad District, Jharkhand |
| First Reported Fire | 1916 (Khas Jharia Colliery) |
| Number of Fires | Approximately 70-80 active fire sites |
| Primary Resource | Prime Coking Coal (Vital for the steel industry) |
Official Source: Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL)
Where is Jharia, and why is it burning?
Jharia is situated in the heart of the Damodar River Valley, about 250 km from Kolkata. The fire started in 1916 due to improper decommissioning of an open-cast mine. When coal is exposed to oxygen through cracks in the earth, it can ignite spontaneously, a process known as self-heating.
According to records from the Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), these fires spread because the old mines were not properly filled with sand. Today, the Jharia coal mine fire covers hundreds of square kilometers, with flames reaching temperatures high enough to turn the soil into a glowing ember.
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What are the Impacts of the Jharia Coal Mine Fire?
Living in the burning city has a high cost. Serious health and safety risks for the local population have drawn international attention.
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Toxic Air: The fires release a cocktail of poisonous gases, including sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides.
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Land Subsidence: The ground frequently collapses as the coal beneath burns away, creating massive sinkholes that swallow buildings.
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Health Crisis: A high percentage of the youth (18-30 age group) suffer from chronic respiratory issues and skin diseases.
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Displacement: The Jharia Rehabilitation and Development Authority (JRDA) has been tasked with moving nearly 100,000 families to safer zones like Belgharia.
How is the government tackling the burning city of India?
“Traditional ways to put out a fire of this magnitude are nearly impossible. The government has done many things through Coal India Limited and BCCL:
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Surface Sealing: Covering cracks with soil to cut off the oxygen supply.
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Inert Gas Injection: Pumping nitrogen into mines to stifle the flames.
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Excavation: Digging out the burning coal to stop the fire from spreading to new seams.
Despite these efforts, the sheer scale of the burning city of India remains a challenge. Current master plans focus more on "total evacuation" rather than extinguishing, as the fire has moved too deep into the earth's crust.
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The story of Jharia is a grim reminder of the environmental costs of industrialization. India’s burning city feeds the country’s steel plants as its people wait for the day when the ground beneath them is finally cold. Jharia is the most tenacious geological crisis of our country that every student of Indian geography and environmental science has to understand.
