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CSE favours ban of mining in Karnataka

Tuesday, 05 August 2008

Mining in India has, contrary to government's claims, done little for the development of the mineral-bearing regions of the country, particularly in Karnataka. India's richest minerals, forests, wild-life and water sources - home to its poorest people - have been destroyed by mining. The latest publication from New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in its 356-page 6th State of India's Environment Report, titled "Rich Lands, Poor People - Is Sustainable Mining Possible?" called for a complete ban on illegal mining in Karnataka. "Take the case of Bellary in Karnataka, the hub of the state's iron mining sector. Uncontrolled mining has devastated the region's agriculture, increased air and water pollution, and destroyed forests. Human health has been a casualty as well, a victim of the pathetic working conditions - the area has high incidence of lung infections, heart ailments and cancer. While on one hand the place lays claim to having the largest collection of private aircrafts in the country, it also suffers from acute poverty on the other," said Sunita Narain, director, CSE, speaking at the release function here on Monday. CSE also termed the National Mineral Policy-2008 as "unrealistic and regressive". With specific reference to Karnataka, CSE has called for the Union Government ensure accountability: miners, especially in regions like Bellary, must pay for rebuilding and rehabilitation. The state and the local community should get the benefits from mining. The sector has become a stronghold of private players, and is being tapped for private - not public - good. This must change," said Ms Narain. Take the case of Karnataka. While the value of minerals produced in the state has continuously increased over the years, revenues from mining has remained a bare 0.7-0.8 per cent of the state's total revenues. Moreover, illegal mining has been a huge  drain on the state exchequer -Karnataka lost an estimated Rs 3,000 crore to it between 2004 and 2006. In comparison, the government's royalty from iron ore in 2005 was a paltry Rs 80 crore. So what is the NMP-2008 talking about? Mining of major minerals generated about 1.84 billion tonne of waste in 2006 - most of which has not been disposed off properly. The report quotes extensively from the Karnataka government's publications to make its point. One of these is the state government's 2006 Human Development Report, which says that in Karnataka, forests in the Western Ghats and the Bellary-Hospet area bear minerals. Between 1980 and 2005, around 7,558 hectare (ha) of forest land in Karnataka was diverted for  mining activities - this was about 8 per cent of the total forest land diverted for mining in India. Another Karnataka government publication quoted by the CSE report - the State of Environment Report 2003 - has pointed out that 38 per cent of the mine leases in Chitradurga, 66 per cent in Bellary and 96 per cent in Chikmagalur are in forest areas. Bellary, in fact, is one of the most severely affected areas. Karnataka has the largest reserves of high-grade iron ore in India - most of which is in Bellary. Fuelled by international - especially Chinese - demand, the district witnessed a three-fold jump in iron ore production in the period 2001-06.Bellary's bane has been its rampant illegal mining, says the report. "These mines are responsible for some of the most egregious violations of labour and environmental laws, including child labour and failure to manage waste or soil erosion," the report points out. Ms Narain said "the report acquires added significance in the light of the recommendations of the National Mineral Policy-2008 (NMP) - in fact, the report's analysis and conclusions discount what the policy recommends. "Based as it is on unrealistic assumptions, the NMP fails to take into consideration the social and environmental problems happening due to mining. It is bound to promote large-scale exploitative mining and will, therefore, exacerbate conflict - something which the CSE report cautions about," she added.

 

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