(1)Where any mine or part thereof is so situated that there is any danger of inrush of surface water into the mine or part, adequate protection against such inrush shall be provided and maintained, and whether such protection is adequate or not may be determined by the Chief Inspector, whose decision shall be final.(2)Except with the previous permission of the Chief Inspector in writing and subject to such conditions as he may specify therein and subject to the provisions of sub-regulation (1), every entrance into a mine shall be so designed, constructed and maintained that its lowest point (which means the point at which a body of rising water on surface can enter the mine) shall be not less than 1.5 meters above the highest flood level at that point.(3)Every year, during the rains constant watch shall be kept on the flood levels on the surface of the mine and if at any time the levels cross the highest levels earlier recorded, such levels shall be marked by permanent posts along the edges of water and the new highest levels thus observed shall be recorded with the date as the highest flood level on the plans by an actual survey:Provided that the highest flood level shall not be plotted on plans by interpolations.(4)If there are water dams or reservoirs built across rivers and water courses on the upstream side of the mine, arrangements shall be made for communication between appropriate authorities for the purpose of ascertaining the quantity and timing of water released from the dams which is likely to endanger safety of the mine and arrangement for similar communication shall be made when water level rises on the upstream side which is likely to endanger any mine.(5)In every mine which is likely to be endangered by surface water, the highest flood levels and danger levels at least 1.2 meters or as required by the Regional Inspector, below the highest flood level, shall be permanently marked at appropriate places on the surface and whenever water rises towards the danger level at any place, all persons shall be withdrawn from the mine sufficiently in advance and for this purpose adequate arrangements of quick communication to all parts of the mine by effective systems shall be provided and maintained.(6)No working shall be made in any mine vertically below-(a)any part of any river, canal, lake, tank or other surface reservoir; or(b)any spot lying within a horizontal distance of 15 meters from either bank of a river or canal or from the boundary of a lake, tank or other surface reservoir, except with the previous permission in writing of the Chief Inspector and subject to such conditions as he may specify therein.(7)Every application for permission under sub-regulation (6) shall be accompanied by two copies of a plan and section showing the existing position of the workings of the mine, the proposed layout of workings, the depth of the workings from the surface, the position and depth of any goaves in every seam in the neighborhood, all faults, dykes and other geological disturbances and such other particulars as may affect the safety of the mine or of the persons employed therein.Explanation. - Where sand or alluvium are lying in the course of a river, canal, lake, tank or reservoir, the depth from the surface shall be reckoned from the surface of hard ground underlying such sand or alluvium.(8)All workings made under sub-regulation (6) shall be clearly demarcated belowground.(9)A competent person shall, once at least in every fourteen days during the rainy season and once at least in every thirty days during other periods of the year, examine every protective measure provided under sub-regulations (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5), whether in use or not, for their stability, and a report of every such examination shall be recorded in a bound paged book kept for the purpose, which shall be signed and dated by the person making the examination and countersigned and dated by the manager.(10)The protective measures and workings shall also be inspected, once at least in every quarter by the manager personally.
