Currently, water inrush accidents in China’s coal mines are mainly under control, but occasionally, grave water inrush accidents still occur, causing significant casualties and economic losses. Existing studies have primarily focused on accident statistics, and the research on the trend of accident evolution is becoming obsolete to match the current context of coal resource development. This study analyzes the water inrush accidents in China’s coal mines between 2014 and 2022. It investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of accidents, the level of accidents, and the extent to which water prevention and control measures vary by zone in coal mines. The study results showed that from 2014 to 2022, water inrush accidents in coal mines exhibited a “decline-stability-fluctuation” stage change pattern. Additionally, the location of water inrush accidents has shifted westward. Paying particular attention to preventing and controlling water disasters in coal mines within the west development zone is crucial. The water disaster accidents in China’s coal mines have been effectively controlled, but the problem of unequal levels of preventing and controlling water disasters in coal mines persists. This study can provide a reference for the safe and efficient production of coal mines and the control of the number of deaths in mine water hazard accidents.

Coal mining has a certain influence on and causes disturbances in groundwater. To investigate the variation trend of groundwater around the open-pit mine in grassland area, taking Shengli No. 1 open-pit mine as an example, the impact and variation trend of groundwater level in Quaternary aquifer around the mine area was studied by using the data of hydrological monitoring wells. The results show that the water level around the mining area varies from one year to the next. Since 2008, the water level has experienced a process of reduction, stability and increase. Compared with the background water level value, the current water level of each monitoring well is lower than the background water level. The influence radius calculated by Kusakin formula ranges from 94.15 m to 906.80 m, and the aquifer is heterogeneous. On the basis of the correlations between changes in waterline in monitoring wells and the stope distance, the disturbance radius of open-pit mining on surrounding diving water in grassland area is less than 2000 m. Based on the comprehensive analysis of the alteration of diving waterline and its influencing factors, the main factors affecting the variation in the phreatic water level are atmospheric precipitation, evaporation, groundwater usage and dewatering water. All factors act on the diversification of diving water level synthetically. The internal waste dump of an open-pit mine has a positive effect on the surrounding groundwater recovery. The aim of this study is to reveal the impact of open-pit mining on surrounding groundwater and providing scientific basis for future mining in other open-pit mines.