Mine spoils are sub-soil material produced as a byproduct of mining activity. Virtually being a sub-soil material, mine spoils are physically, nutritionally and microbiologically impoverished habitats, thwarting the establishment and growth of plants species.

Loss of livelihood and displacement has become a recurring feature for the people of Singrauli, on the border of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, due to the construction of dams and power and mining projects over the last five decades. These communities are again in the process of being displaced with private players setting up five super thermal power and three mining projects in the area.

The proposal to generate nearly 20,000 megawatts of power by building new power plants on a narrow strip of the Konkan coast is a recipe for an ecological and social disaster. The government should learn from the past experience of such coal-based power plants, reassess the true demands for energy and encourage ecologically sustainable planning, which will also benefit the local people.

Mine spoils consist of overburdened dumps of haphazardly, mixed consolidated and unconsolidated material. Mine spoils are nutritionally and microbiologically impoverished habitats. Natural restoration of mine spoil is a slow process. Afforestation of mine spoils with fast growing tree species accelerates the revegetation process and fulfils the restoration goal.

The Singrauli region, in central India, is a nerve centre for thermal power and is called the

Mining is generally followed by a revegetation programme carried by the Forest Department. In such programmes, often exotic plant species are also used along with native tree species. Since the last one and half decades an exotic tree species, Prosopis juliflora has gained tremendous popularity among forest officials due to its easy establishment, low mortality rate and fast growth rate on mine spoil, compared to other woody species.