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Indian Mining At Cross Roads A. Hussain

Certified Mines manager

I stood on a hill and laughed out loud I had crossed the Narmada by boat from Jalsindhi

and climbed the headland on the opposite bank from where I could see, ranged across the

crowns of low, bald hills, the adivasi hemlets of Sikka, Surang, Neemgavan and Dom

Khedi. I could see their airy, fragile homes, I could see their fields and the forests behind

them. I could see little children with little goats scuttling across the landscape like

motorized peanuts. I knew I was looking at a civilization older than Hinduism, slated-

sanctioned (by the highest court in the land) to be drowned this monsoon when the waters

of the Sardar Sarovar reservoir will rise to submerge it.

Why did I laugh ?

Because I suddenly remembered the tender concern with which the supreme court Judges

in Delhi (before vacating the legal stay on further construction of the Sardar Sarovar

dam) had enquired whether adivasi children in the resettlement colonies would have

children’s parks to play in. The lawyers representing the government had hastened to

assure them that indeed they would, and what is more, that there were see-saws and

slides and swings in every park. I looked up at the endless sky and down at the river

rushing past and for a brief, brief moment the absurdity of it all reversed my rage and I

laughed. I meant no disrespect.

Arundhati Roy (Algebra of infinite Justice)

Are we different?

No we are not different as far as the treatment meted ont to oustees from our large,

medium or small mining projects is concerned. Of late the federation of mining industries

has shown great resentment against recent amendment in land Acquisiton Act and mining

bill 2011, expecting mining fraternity to tow the line. How the profits churned out from

the mineral industry are shared out, is a matter to be decided by the government of time

and the owners of the properties and there is hardly and role for the corps of mining

engineers. As the engineering divisions are concerned their sole aim should be to run the

industry in an efficient and enterprising spirit, complying with all the statute provisions

and generating a larger and larger surplus. Disposal of these surpluses is a privileged

discretion on the part of owners, and as far as managers or mining engineers are

concerned, they should channelise their efforts to get sufficient funds for floating the set-

up at its best efficiency and at competitive environment. Introduction of latest

technological advances have brought down overall manpower requirements and boosted

up production levels in turn demand for more and more land resulted. This situation has

further complicated the rehabilitation status of project affected persons to a large extent.

Offloading operational activities to third party contractual workings is another dimension

of the problem.

India is endowed with significant mineral resources and produce 89 minerals out of

which 4 are fuel minerals, 11 metallic, 52 non metallic and 22 minor minerals. The total

value of minerals other than petroleum during year 2000-2001 was Rs. 3,06,751 million.

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Today country ranks third in world’s coal production, fourth in iron ore, fifth in Bauxite

and lime stone.

Spiraling up demand of industrial minerals and coal did a radical change in the mining

operational strategy. Introduction of latest technology and large size earthmoving

equipments made it possible to adopt open surface mining technique for comparatively

high stripping ratio deposits which were so far amenable through conventional

underground mining techniques. Higher size of capital investments and higher production

levels converged into mega size operational level putting up extraordinary pressure over

neighboring resources. The other important aspect of this transformation was to share

some of the critical activities through outsourcing to third party contractual agencies.

When entire large mining operations shooted up, it was simply not possible that their

Juniors in the minor mineral mining segments remain insulated from the fruits of latest

technology up gradation. The small mines so far depended upon mannal resources,

opened their operations to latest available versatile hydraulic excavators, tippers,

hydraulic operated dumpers and drills etc. Finance and skill was not a problem, thanks to

the financers and equipment suppliers, who were readily available at door steps.

Our mineral resources are sufficiently rich and varied to provide the country with strong

industrial base. We have rich deposits of metallic minerals of ferrous group such as iron

ore, Manganese, chromites and Titanium. World’s largest reserves of Mica and Bauxite

are located in our country. The situation is more or less satisfactory in Coal, Felspar,

Fluoride, Limestone, Dolomite and Gypsum. Some of the non ferrous metallic minerals

especially Copper, Lead, Zinc, Tin, Graphite are less than adequate.

The latest level of coal reserves in the country is about 2,01,95,370 million tonnes. The

quality of coal is inferior and our current production level of 292 million tonnes per

annum has grown up ten times from the 32.8 million tonnes level in year 1950-51

Country has good quality iron ore reserves to the tune of 12,749 million tones, which is

almost 20 percent of world’s total iron ore reserve. The current production level of 64.1

million tonnes per annum of iron ore in country is about 20 times of 3.0 million tonnes

level of 1950-51

The reserves of some of the important minerals in the country are given as under –

Minerals Reserves in Million Tonnes

Manganese 430

Bauxite 3,290

Lime Stone 1,75,345

Dolomite 7,533

Gypsum 1,237

Mica 0.400

Uranium 0.030

Rock Phosphate 24.2

Graphite 168.77

Chromites 203

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As earlier stated the introduction of latest technology in mining sector has catapulted the

conventional mining to the arena of large open cast mining activities. This has multiplied

the material handling to a substantive scale at one hand and proportional rise in surface

land requirements. The new scenario depended upon a few highly skilled key persons

curtailing employment opportunities to a large extent. Another dimension of this change

has been reflected in the offloading of major activities to contractual agencies. This is

more and more acceptable trend in today’s mining industry. While the managements may

insulate themselves from the working environment created and maintained by these

contractual agencies, who are solely behind profit making motos, the overall employment

environment is nauseating.

Deployment of high capacity equipments has resulted into phenomenal change in waste

generation demanding more and more land for waste disposal. In addition to swallowing

a large chunk of prime agricultural land every year these ever expanding dumps become

the source for silting the surface drainage system and blanketing peripheral crops land

with sterilized non life supporting particulate matter. The size of these huge dumps also

affect the photosynthesis process within their shadow areas affecting crops output.

Other important change which has affected the operational side of the mining of the so

called minor minerals. The primary, manually operated mining of minor minerals have

become a star mining with quantum leap into mechanized or semimechanized operational

levels. Mining of building stones, marble, sand stone etc. and running crushers have

become mechanized operations with the old conventional management thinking to milk

the cows for the last drop without putting forward any fodder. This change over has

created multiple problems including environmental disasters.

The owners of these quarries want to enjoy the benefits of erstwhile small level

operations at one hand and expanded the activities with no restriction through

mechanization, over loading and commersurating heavy blasts. They do not want to share

the responsibilities associated with increased level of operational activities. Inflow of

large profits, unethical practices have supported extensive illegal mining, where payment

of royalty and other govt. taxes are also siphoned out conveniently. Since these practices

have scanty regard for the law of land, the waste generated in the process is dumped out

on govt. lands, pasture lands or cheaply purchased agricultural lands. There are multiple

cases where the waste is dumped into life line streams, perennial water holes or rivers.

indiscreetly.

Assuming their primitive level activities no discretion is paid at the time of lease

allotments, and most of them become very close to small residential villages or towns. At

their initial stage no body is alarmed, but in course of time profit hunting makes them

larger units availing mechanization, heavy blasts and all the time screaming crushers

spreading highly dusty atmosphere all around. The conflict between the residents and

mine operators become a routine affair where the guardians of law are found to be

standing with mine owners. Gold rush into this sector has ultimately invited local and

state level politicians to bake their cakes, and this has slackened the feeble grip retained

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by the state govt. officials, so far. These political intrusions made all the unethical

practices simple including overloading of tractors, trucks, spilling the activities beyond

the earmarked areas, theft of royalty and other govt. taxes, by passing environmental and

mine regulations. They developed strange trade mark practices to by pass the

environmental and safe mining practices, for example in Rajasthan the lease area for

minor minerals was brought down from earlier 5.0 Ha. so that the quarry owners can be

saved from environmental obligations. I do not have any hesitation to state that the state

govt officials were made silent spectators to watch this nexus growing into mafia

fiefdoms. The interests are so deep and strong that these owners had courage to attack

senior police officials and other govt. enforcing agencies. These mechanized operations

do not want to appoint statutory officials, a possible point of leakage in their frame of

thinking. This sector is definitely bringing a bad name for mining as a whole. There is a

recent case which was prominently reported in national media – A marble quarry mined

out the mineral beneath an important railway line without notice of any authority. Does it

not make us laughing stock to any Tom, Dick and Harry. (I came across a news and

photograph in a Hindi newspaper, where a local mine in Sikar district has dumped waste

into a village school building and closed it from all sides)

Nature has great power of resilience and adopts with the changes forced upon it from

time to time. However it needs time to accommodate these changes for a new changed

version of equilibrium. Increased speed of land transformations do not leave it margin to

follow the fast advancing human actions and the widening gape results into failures of

serious nature releasing unadjusted energy. Fast land transformation activities should

have sound planning and a closely monitoring strategy. Unfortunately this monitoring

part in our high fast progressing land transformation projects lack much in comparasion

to similar projects in advanced countries. For example in US steel mines a constant watch

on accumulated stresses, vibration levels at the time of blasting with the help of geo-

phones is maintained and analysed for possible anamolies and their possible resultant

actions forecasting.

Capital intensive activities depend upon a few highly skilled professionals and artisans

paid luxuriantly, while the erstwhile land owners over whose acquired properties the

edifice of these activities have been built up get paltry wages and menial jobs in

exchange. It is a classic example of mushroom type development structure, where a tall

glamorous building stands surrounded all around by the unlivable slums. Some of these

erstwhile land owners compromised with the transformations as god willing dictate, but

the greater group failed to reconciles leading into socio-cultural never ending depressive

traps. Excessive dependence on alcohol was a common remedy for the desolates to dilute

their isolation and to come out of draconian nightmares. They were masters of their fate,

transformed into slaves to sing other’s songs.

Barring a few names most of the surface mining projects paid little attention and value to

conserve and preserve soil and sub soil scattered over the mining property. It is needless

to say about the value of the top soil. Nature takes a great length of time in manufacturing

the soil, blending its constituents like organic matter, humous and rock particulates in

right proportions; which reflects upon its value. Introduction of contractual workings and

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medium to small mining sector operations hardly realize the importance and adopted

practices to mine the soils along with other waste profiles and dumped in mixed

formations.

Mining and its subsequent activities have found to degrade the land to a significant

extent. Overburden removal from mining areas results in a very significant loss of rich

top soil which retains physical, chemical and biological forms to sustain life. The bigger

the scale of mining operation, greater is the quantum of waste generation. As per one

estimate an area of 13,546 Ha land was brought under actual mining during 2005-06, the

total area affected was far much more (see table)

Mineral Production, Waste generation and land affected in 2005-06

S.No. Mineral Production M.T. Overburden MT Estimated Land

affected Ha.

1 Coal 407 1,493 10,175

2 Lime Stone 170.38 178.30 1,704

3 Bauxite 12.34 7.5 123

4 Iron 154.40 143.90 1,544

5 Other 9.44 18.61 ---

Surface mining industry is farmers nightmare primarily affecting water flow in local area.

It changes hydrological profile of an area by degrading catchments, affecting both

quantity and quality of water. It increases run-offs during monsoons and pollutes rivers

and streams. The irrigation dams loose their capacity due to fast silting.

Soil is lost in two ways i.e. part removed in the process of mining and casted away along

with overburden in the waste dumps. The other part is buried alive under the waste

dumps, not to appear again. Both are permanent losses. However these losses can be

reduced if not eliminated totally with certain regulatory mechanism equipped with

effective monitoring systems.

Mining projects at large have adopted afforestation technique as the back stay for mined

out area reclamation. While large mining projects adopt tree plantation over the waste –

dumps, small and medium size activities hardly care about this aspect. A stable forestry

depends upon its compatibility with local climatic factors, presence of inter – related

species and regeneration capabilities. Nature favours establishment of climatic climax

species and in course of setting it show preferences towards the allied species closely

related to principals climax species. It is a bread and butter relationship for growth. The

litter coming from allied species become the relished food for main species and vice –

versa. Any man made forestry can not be assumed to be a stable and mature forestry until

and unless it starts regeneration on its own and honors intergeneration and honors its

capabilities on sustained considerations. The exotice and fast growing species normaly

adopted in the plantation programmes can not be said stable as they will survive till

human care is extended. They lack regenerative capabilities. Some of the central Indian

mines adopted fast growing species like Gravellia Pterdifolia, Gravellia Robusta, Acacia.

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Auricul-formis for their reclamation programmes in eighties. The mined out areas

remained completely green during the operational cycle of the mines but become total

denuded and deserted landscapes, once the operations ceased off. It is not sufficient to

plant some trees but important is to ensure the mind out areas into vibrating self

generating forestry.

When we discuss afforestation, we should also think of wild life affected due to mining

operations. We should not skip over the fact that every eco-zone is built up with a chain

interlinked with a number of species, loss of any link causes severe trophic losses, though

nature provides some initial cushioning. I would like to give a living example. Wild

Tuskers in Chhatisgarh state had a harmonic movement from Palamau in Jharkhand state

to Surguja in Chhatisgarh (In fact all the animal kingdome and primitive men move in a

simple harmonic cycle- all through their life examples are Monarch Butterflies, Solomon

and Herd people moving from plateu tops to the banks of rivers flowing in the valley and

back to the plateu tops as per seasonal variations) Some of them or their earlier were born

in the zangels of Sarguja and the compatible forest corridors permitted their movement

up to Palamau without any external interruption. These wild elephants enjoyed the

harmonical movement within this corridor without any interruption, till vedanta’s

appeared on the scene.

To facilitate transportation of bauxite ore from their Mainpat mine to Korba plant, they

heavily depended upon truck transportation – As a result less trafficked road joining

Ambikapur town to Korba via Pathal gaon and Dharamjaigarh became highly populated

road all of sudden accommodating movement of loaded or empty truck in every 10 to 15

minutes frequency. To curtail lead, some important alterations were also made in the

route. This transformation it self was enough to provoke tuskers, who killed seventy two

tribals in a number of encounters, till they were injected anaesthetic drugs and cowed

down and packed as prisoners to Bandhavgarh wild life sanctuary to carry tourists on

their backs. This is not the end of this story. This men and animal conflict is not coming

to closure and human intervention in the animal realm is taking lives of poor tribals every

year.

There is an unanimous thinking that the mining brings all those activities that are against

the interests of protecting wild life. Waste is dumped, roads are cut opening up fragile

eco systems for human intrusion. Large scale human settlements are set up in forests for

labour force and other staff, which fragments and degrades habitats. Pipe line and electric

lines are imperative to break continuous tree canopies for several Kilometers restricting

tree dwelling species and fragments the ecosystems further. Marble mining in and around

Sariska wild life sanctuary has eliminated tiger population in totality. Salt mining in Rann

of Katch has put the only remaining population of wild life in peril. Diamond mining in

Panna has removed Tigers from Panna National Park. Lime stone mining in Gir Zangles

have threatened the only habitat of Asiatic lion. This is an unending story.

Mining industry did not stay at the threshold forests and wild life but furthered its pangs

to suffocate voiceless tribals in Orrisa. Our activities in Lanjigarh has decided the future

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course of this industry in the specific areas of ecological balancing, respect of the forestry

and wild life.

It is a fact that today disruptive movements like Naxilitic were originally centered on the

agricultural land distribution policies, and became feeble in course of time. Its revival and

further nourishment came from the mining industry and forestry. Today these movements

are successfully operated in the dense zangles surrounding mining theaters. It is not a

simple co-incidence. The discriminating gulf between haves owning mining progects and

have nots on whose land, soil and water the large edifice of such projects are built,

ultimately worked as a catalyst in this smoldering fire.

The expanding influence of the ideology of violence being perpetrated by Naxilitic

groups in various parts of the country is being traced to a variety of socioeconomic

factors and illegal mining. It has been realized that the illegal mining has not only created

environmental havoc but has been a major factor behind the alienation of tribals. Naxal

groups took advantage of this situation and recruited ideologically motivated youth and

illiterate and poverty stricken tribals who became their main stay in course of time.

It will be very much relevant to discuss a few points raised by the international labour

organization in their recent report “India and the Rights of Indigenous people”. ILO states

that the minerals found in tribal areas contribute to more than half of national mining

production. Yet mining policies in India has overlooked the existence of tribal

communities and constitutional provisions for the protection of their land and resources,

report notes. (In 1991 out of total 4175 mines in country 3500 mines were in tribal areas)

Naxilites in their charter has been raising the issues of tribals and Justified their actions

against the continued isolation and exploitation of tribals and their homelands, failure to

implement the 5th

and 6th

schedules under article 244 of the Indian Constitution.

Now listen from horse mouth –

“How much of a nightmare we have to become to the reactionary ruling classes of India.

On the name of development. On the name of development, Industrializaiton and mining

tribals have been displaced left to die slow death.”

M. Ganapathis General Secretary

C.P.I. (Maoist) reported in media.

Another important area where our contribution is significant. Jack hammer drilling or

even medium size drilling carried out in quarries and mines is dry drilling releasing

enormous quantity of dust in the atmosphere. Drillers prefer because dry drilling

facilitates & high percolation rate reducing his time to complete the given assignment at

the same time management saves the cost of additional accessories and increase bit lite.

This is the sketch of the responsible mining establishments.

While the so called minor minerals mining does not have faith in wet drilling or any dust

suppression techniques. Crushers attached with stone quarries are discharging silica laden

dust in the atmosphere affecting the workers as well as people residing in the nearby

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areas. It proper medical survey is conducted, a large section of miners will be found

suffering from occupational diseases of different levels. A recent report appeared in the

national media indicating alarmingly high incidences of silicosis in the mining areas. The

report has been brought up by the National human rights commission. This picture is

only for the workers working in the quarries, people at large living close by to these

crushers or mining areas have to live with the dusty atmosphere without any inclusion in

the survey modalities. Incidently tuberculosis developed due to silicosis is TRD (Total

Drug Resistant) and happy go marry rounds of recruitments in critical Drilling and

crushing type mining works are overtime running factory for tuberculosis and related

nondurable diseases.

The huge blasts taken to cater the ever increasing demand of industries affect recharging

of ground aquifers, as the aquaducts transmitting water from surface are distorted.

Surface water drainage pattern is changed, the nallas and streams draining clean water

flow earlier, now carry slime and toxicants. Agricultural fields surrounding mining areas

are losing their fertility and productivity.

At our best side we are better known as throat cutters of poor tribals and on the lower side

as mining mafia people. When this industry is so dependent on the people and affecting

covertly or overtly their land, water, air, their food and health, why they are pained so

much as to extend a small portion of their surplus to the people who make their

foundation pillars. This loot of natural resources in our country is so cheap and

manageable that all the foreign interests and non resident Indians are camping through

out blowing hot and cold. No where in the world, the open robbery of national assets and

natural resources is so cheap and easy as it is in our country, that is the reason the

successful industrialists from all over the world are keeping constant eyes on our mineral

deposits.

According to a report between 1950 and 1991 at least 26,00,000 people were displaced

by mining projects, out of which only 25 percent received any resettlement. Among

displaced 52 percent belonged to tribal status. As stated earlier the tribal areas are rich in

minerals, it is the tribal people who are most affected. Industrialization of such areas has

badly shattered their economy, values and life style. In one of the important ruling of the

country’s apex court, it was made clear that natural resources are national assets and local

communities enjoy entitlements. If not full, a part ownership on them.

Should we not pay for this part ownership.

A. Hussain