Emergency responses to water disasters in coalmines,China

Emergency response to water-related disasters is an important part of many coalmine operations in China. It usually consists of both incident prevention measures and rescue counter-plans. In principle, prevention is always the top priority, followed by rescue. The prevention measures relies on thorough understanding of the mine hydrogeology, correct identification of water burst risk levels, and an effective monitoring program for inundations. The emergency rescue is initiated when an accident occurs, and a rescue plan often includes a self-rescue and mutual-rescue program.