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Goa's mining problems
05 Apr 2007
Source: Down to Earth - Science and Environment Online
By Sunita Narain
We were standing between a massive mine and a stunning water reservoir.
Local activists were explaining to me that this iron ore mine was located in
the catchment of the Salaulim water reservoir, the only water source for
south Goa. Suddenly, as I started clicking with my camera, we were
surrounded by a jeepload of men. They said they were from the mine
management and wanted us off the property. We explained that we had come on
a public path and that there were no signs to indicate that we were
trespassing. But they were not in a mood to listen. They snatched the keys
of our jeep, picked up stones to hit us and got abusive. Before things got
totally out of hand, we decided to leave. They followed us till they saw
that we left the area and most importantly, could not stop and take more
photographs.
I was completely baffled at these developments. After all, this was Goa,
known for its sandy beaches, lush green mountains and, most of all, its
peace and calm. This was also the place where industrialiststhe Dempos, the
Salgaocars, the Timblos with mineral interestsplay key roles in education,
in culture and in promoting the ethics of good corporate governance. Why
would they allow mining to take place next to what is clearly the most
important water source for the state? Why were there no signboards with
names of owners, near or around the mine? Why would state regulators allow
this to happen? What was happening in this paradise to unleash this violence
and simmering tension? I got my answers soon.
In the next village, Colomba, I was surrounded once again: not by goons of
mining company, but by women of the village. We were standing on top of the
hill, overlooking the village nestled between coconut and cashewnut trees.
But where we were, bulldozers, mechanised shovels and trucks were hard at
work. They were breaking the hill, shovelling its mud, dumping the rejects
and then taking away the ore. The mine had just started operations, said the
agitated women, but their streams were already drying up. The sight of the
red waste on the green lands presented a stark contrast.
They dragged me down into the village, where they showed me their wasted
fields. They then showed me how the mining wasteand there are tonnes of
this red mudwas being dumped into their streams. They walked me to a home
where the walls had been badly damaged, they said, because of the blasting
in the mines. The house owner, Devki Katu Velip, told me that when she
complained to the miners, the supervisor told her they would destroy her
house completely if she dared protest again.
Understandably, the villagers had just one demand: close down the mines. I
asked how permission had been given without their consent. Who were these
companies and whose land were they mining? I learnt that in this literate
state these mining operations were shrouded in secrecy. It was assumed that
conditional environmental clearance had been taken to operate the mine
located mostly on comunidade landoriginally under local community control
and only to be leased out for agriculture. But as the concessions had been
granted by the Portuguese government and later converted into leases by the
Indian government, these restrictions did not seem to apply. Or, at least,
did not matter.
The ownership status was also unclear, explained the villagers. One Hiralal
Khodidas had the lease, but the mine was operated by Sociedade Formento (one
of Goas biggest mining companies) through an agent, Raisu Naik, who had in
turn sub-contracted it to Gurudas Naik, the ex- sarpanch of the village.
This is why, I guess, the mines did not have company signboards. It did not
suit them to reveal their identity.
In the next village, Quinamol, the scene was more or less the same. The
miners were rowdy; the villagers angry. The only difference was that the
mine was olderfirst mined for manganese and now being excavated for iron
ore. It generated more mining waste, covering open fields and filling water
bodies. The tension was palpable. In this case, the mine was leased to
politician Chandrakant Naik but was being operated by one Bhandari. Nobody
could give me more details about him.
The women told me that they had complained but nobody was listening. I
learnt laterthe day after my visitthat villagers had stopped a truck
loading the material and beaten the driver. A case has now been registered
against them. But is it only their fault?
This was the scene in all the villages we
