The Potential of Coal-Mine Tourism in Chandrapur
What can we learn from successful international models?
Picture 1 above is of the closed coal mine at Dhorwasa, Chandrapur. Picture 2 below is of the Butchart Gardens created on a 55 acre closed quarry in British Columbia, Canada. Can Picture 1 transform to Picture 2?
Recently the MLA of Chandrapur Kishore Jorgewar, demanded that underground mines in Chandrapur which are no longer operative should be opened for tourism. Speaking to Vidarbha Gazette he said that he spends the 1st January every year with underground coal miners, as a gesture of gratitude towards their hard work. He explained that he wanted to promote coal mine tourism in the district as an economic activity that would increase the livelihood opportunities of local communities. He was optimistic that the coal authorities would soon make the closed underground mines available for visitors.
While this focus on coal mine tourism in Chandrapur appears to have a lot of potential since the district has several inoperative mines, the question does arise of what is required to develop mine tourism? Chandrapur already has good experience in eco-tourism because of the Tadoba Tiger Reserve but would developing a mine-based tourist destination be similar to the TATR experience? This is definitely a possibility, because abandoned mines in Chandrapur are known to be the habitats of wildlife. However, for further development, it would require the involvement of the forest department. This type of model is available in Kenya where the Bamburi Haller Park was developed over inoperative limestone quarries. In 1969 Swiss-born Haller started to restore the closed limestone quarries close to Mombasa. Over 59 years the abandoned mines were developed into a park with wildlife with a trail for walking and biking. More than 150000 visitors visit the Park every year.
While parks and gardens are the most preferred activities for rehabilitation of closed mines, the flip side is that these take a long time to develop. The work to create the Butchart Gardens was started by the Butchart family in 1904 and to this day they maintain the gardens created over 55 acres of closed limestone quarries. Although the project attracts a million visitors annually, it has taken a century to develop.
A closer look at successful projects show that these aim to combine tourism with the larger goals of reclamation and rehabilitation of land and water resources, preservation of industrial heritage and increasing the employment opportunities to local communities, beyond the mere ‘thrill’ of entering an underground cavern. Thus, we have examples of mine landscapes transformed into spaces for education, museums, business, games, entertainment, adventure and luxury hotels or any combination of these. Some of the examples are as follows:
After operating for more than a century the Zollverein mines in the Ruhr region of Germany were closed in 1986. In an attempt to preserve the industrial heritage of the country, it was converted to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The coal washing plant into the Museum of Ruhr and the former boiler house into the Red dot Design Museum. Both these museums are visited by over 1.5 million people annually. Apart from the two museums, there are cafes and restaurants, concert venues, offices, shops, art galleries, furniture showrooms and swimming pools. The Ruhr also has other projects such as the Tiger and Turtle Magic Mountain which is a walkable sculpture opened in 2011.
In most projects, youths and local communities play a crucial role in mine rehabilitation and tourism. In Sweden, three friends converted a closed iron mine into a space of adventure. Similarly, mining students in UK decided to combine games with learning by conducting International Mining Games at the closed King Edward Mines. These are inter-collegiate games which include traditional mining skills such as jackleg drilling, track laying, hand mucking, surveying etc. In Australia, the Aboriginal elders of Leonora have initiated the ‘Reclaim the Void’ project which aims to combine art, story-telling and tourism in the mines of Western Australia.
The best tourist destinations offer a unique experience and this can be easily developed in the otherworldly surroundings of closed mines. In China a closed coal mine has been developed as a facility for reading, meditation and self-reflection. On the other hand, in Malaysia 323 ha of open cast mines in Salangor was converted into the Sunway Lagoon Amusement Park in 1992. It has 7 themed areas located at 46 meter below ground level. The Shimrao Wonderland Intercontinental Hotel in China is built on 88 m deep flooded limestone quarry. It is described as a ‘groundscape’, powered by solar and geothermal energy, the structure is 16 stories high of which two are located underwater.
What can we hope for Chandrapur? With political leaders making the first statements regarding mine-tourism, we can hope for some positive developments in that direction. A look at successful projects around the world shows that converting mines into tourist destinations is a great challenge because by definition mines are contaminated wastelands, a ‘moonscape’, a geography that is bereft of natural beauty or wildlife or sanctity. Mines are built by displacing communities and therefore efforts may be required to rebuild communities around closed mines. Overall developing tourism around the closed or abandoned mines in Chandrapur would require thoughtful innovation, hard work, adequate funding along with artistic creativity. It would also require the convergence of multiple stakeholders – mining companies, various government departments, local communities, political leadership and civil society organisations for combined efforts to bear fruits.
- Paromita Goswami
Reference: 102 Things to Do with a Hole in the Ground by Peter Whitbread-Abrutat and Robert Lowe, Eden Projects, 2024.
