Vedanta’s red mud pond leaks into Vamsadhara river

Reports from Lanjigarh say a crack in the western part of the red mud pond of Vedanta Alumina refinery has leaked into nearby water bodies and hence into the Vamsadhara river. This happened following a thunder burst on April 5. According to Mahammad Ashlam of KBK Samachar, the local news agency, the downpour lasted 45 minutes and resulted in a huge run-off of the toxic waste into nearby water bodies from a crack in the pond wall of the one-million-tonne refinery. Red mud or bauxite residue is a waste product of the alumina manufacturing process. A video shot by KBK Samachar shows seepage of red mud into some water bodies.