SHILLONG, Dec 7: Meghalaya Governor Ranjit Shekhar Mooshahary today underscored the importance of preserving the environment by shifting from outdated method to a scientific mode of coal mining in Jaintia Hills. Speaking at the inaugural function of the Discovery Jaintia, Mooshahary was apt to mention that the haphazard rat-hole coal mining has caused serious environmental degradation in Jaintia Hills district.