China's State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) has warned of
a possible rise in the number of colliery accidents as coal
production accelerates to meet winter demand.
In its latest circular to its local branches, the administration
identified the fourth quarter as "the peak season for coal
production" and "very susceptible to accidents".
Six colliery accidents have left 41 people dead or missing
during the week ending on Oct. 28, said the circular.
In an explosion in a colliery of southwestern China's Chongqing
Municipality on Oct. 25, at least 10 miners were killed. Early on
Sunday, another 10 miners were trapped underground by flood at
Lingxian Coal Mine in east China's Jiangxi Province, with only one
rescued so far.
The administration urged the branches to take effective measures
to secure "permanent improvements" in mine safety.
It ordered the closure of collieries that failed to meet safety
requirements for thorough and comprehensive overhauls, with
compulsory and strict inspections before production is resumed.
It urged local branches to accelerate the closure of small mines
which have accounted for two thirds of the deaths in coal mine
accidents and claimed 3,431 lives last year alone.
"Malpractice and illegal behavior must be stopped. All accidents
must be handled immediately and strictly in line with laws," said
the circular.
Song Hansong, deputy director of the malfeasance and
infringement department of the Supreme People's Procuratorate, said
the corruption, abuse of authority, and dereliction of duty by some
government officials at grass-root levels accounted for many of the
illegal mines.
More than 88 percent of malfeasance cases concerning severe or
extremely severe production accidents placed on file for
investigation and prosecution in the first eight months involved
officials of law enforcement and supervision departments at
grass-root levels, Song said.
The government has closed more than 9,000 small mines with a
maximum annual capacity of 300,000 tons over the last two years and
will shut another 1,000 by the end of this year.
But the battle to rectify coal production and to meet its
rapidly surging coal demand will continue to be arduous for the
world's largest coal producer and consumer.
The rate of fatalities per million tons of coal mined in 2005 in
China was 70 times higher than the United States and seven times
higher than in Russia and India.
About 9 billion yuan (1.18 billion U.S. dollars) has been poured
into the mining industry to improve safety, including updating
technologies to better control methane gas, which has triggered
most deadly explosions in small mines.
In another statement released on Thursday, the SAWS said it was
soliciting public submissions on a draft plan concerning 604
standards for production safety from 2007 to 2010, targeting 10
sectors, including collieries, non-coal mines, dangerous chemicals,
fireworks, general production, and machinery.
The SAWS has required local branches to "identify loopholes in
production safety supervision and prevent severe accidents".
The building heating season for northern China starts on Nov. 15
and normally lasts four months. With the arrival of coal
consumption peak, domestic prices for steam coal have risen on
expanded turnover in October.
Statistics from the Ministry of Commerce show steam coal from
China's major coal production base, Shanxi, sold at 295 yuan per
ton (US$39) last month, a rise of 15 yuan or two dollars from
September.
Spurred by the rising crude oil prices and the growing domestic
coal demand, the Ministry of Commerce has projected slight hikes in
local coal prices, which may prompt collieries to step up
production.
(Xinhua News Agency November 1, 2007)