India’s mining and metals sector needs a fresh look at environmental compliance norms as rising exploration costs and depletion of high-grade mineral reserves create new pressures for the industry, experts said on Thursday, PTI reported.The sector, which is estimated to account for up to 7 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, currently requires environmental clearances before mining activity can begin.Industry voices said the challenge is shifting from emissions alone to the rising cost and complexity of extracting lower-grade and deeper mineral resources.The Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI) said India has limited or no established reserves of several critical and deep-seated minerals.It added that with growing focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, there is a need to revisit the existing regulatory framework to make mineral and metal extraction more viable.“With mining and metals contributing up to seven per cent of global emissions, the real pressure point ahead is resource depletion,” KEP Engineering Services Managing Director Malu Kamble said.Pavan Kaushik, co-founder of Gurukshetra Consultancy, said the sector is entering a structurally different phase as depletion of high-grade deposits is changing both sustainability outcomes and extraction economics.“We are moving into an era where mineral quality is declining. This means more earth must be disturbed, more water must be drawn, and more energy must be consumed to extract the same value. The cost of extraction – both economic and environmental – will only increase from here,” he said.Kaushik said sustainability systems have become more structured under global frameworks, including those shaped by the United Nations, but still operate largely within compliance boundaries.“Environmental clearances, mine closure plans and ESG disclosures define the industry’s licence to operate. But they are designed for compliance within defined limits – not for managing cumulative ecological stress or long-term resource depletion,” he said.Calling for policy changes, he said present systems may not be calibrated for future realities of falling resource quality.“For policymakers, the challenge is to move from static thresholds to dynamic frameworks that recognise regional carrying capacity. Water, land and biodiversity cannot be managed in silos when extraction intensity is rising,” he said.“For miners, the next phase will not be about extracting more; it will be about extracting smarter. Value per tonne will matter more than volume per tonne. This requires rethinking mine planning, beneficiation, waste utilisation and progressive closure from the outset,” he added.Coal India arm South Eastern Coalfields Ltd CMD Harish Duhan said the company plans “calibrated reductions” in greenhouse gas emissions through solar projects, energy efficiency, plantations and better first-mile connectivity to mines.On water management, Kamble said sustainability in mining would increasingly depend on reuse and treatment systems.“As extraction intensity rises, wastewater generation will increase proportionately. The industry must move from treatment as a compliance requirement to treatment as a resource recovery system, where every drop is reused, not discharged,” he said.He added that technology and intent must go hand in hand.“Zero liquid discharge and advanced treatment systems are no longer optional in high-impact sectors like mining and metals. The real benchmark will be how efficiently industries close the loop between extraction, processing and water reuse,” Kamble said.Kaushik stressed that mining remains essential for infrastructure, energy and industrial growth.“Mining is not optional, it underpins infrastructure, energy systems and industrial growth. It supports millions of livelihoods. The question is not whether to mine, but how responsibly it is done in the context of finite and depleting resources,” he said.He said sustainability must move beyond site-level metrics to broader accountability.“A mining operation can be compliant within its boundary and still create stress outside it. Water neutrality at the site level means little if the region is water-scarce. This gap between compliance and consequence is where the real issue lies,” he said.With India among the world’s largest producers of coal and iron ore, and demand expected to rise, Kaushik said the country has a chance to redefine how mining coexists with nature.“The future of mining will not be defined by compliance alone, but by how responsibly we manage depletion. The cost of ignoring this reality will be far higher than the cost of addressing it today,” he added.
