Environment

Digging a disaster

Soapstone mining is wreaking havoc on villages in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district
Abandoned homes: Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate. The persistent dust and noise pollution from mining activities have disrupted daily life, while terrace farming—a common agricultural practice on the nearby mountain slopes—has become difficult. Most houses in the village are now unoccupied.
Abandoned homes: Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate. The persistent dust and noise pollution from mining activities have disrupted daily life, while terrace farming—a common agricultural practice on the nearby mountain slopes—has become difficult. Most houses in the village are now unoccupied.
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Bageshwar district of Uttarakhand has vast deposits of khadia or soapstone—a soft silicate rock used in manufacturing paints, paper and cosmetics. The mineral has been mined in the district for decades, but mining operations have begun to show severe environmental impact in recent years.

“The soapstone mines have become a curse and we will lose the entire village. Many houses in the village have developed cracks,” says Kesar Singh of Talla Dhapoli village. “It is a matter of time before the land sinks,” he adds. Village residents say that earlier the mining was done by hand and was a source of employment to local people. But the arrival of big companies led to mechanisation and intensification of the mining activity.

An estimated 140 soapstone mines operate in the district. Their activities are reported to have resulted in land subsidence in adjoining villages. These include Talla Dhapoli, Kandekanyal and Dabti Vijaypur, where houses, roads and fields have developed cracks. Kanda and Reema valleys are said to be the most affected.

In September, media reports noted that the National Green Tribunal has taken suo motu cognisance of the matter and asked all stakeholders to file a response a week before the next hearing scheduled for December 11. The High Court of Uttarakhand, while hearing a public interest petition that month, also asked the state government to file a response in four weeks to reports of soapstone mining causing cracks in the buildings and lands across the district. Down To Earth travels to Bageshwar to capture the impacts of soapstone mining.

Roadside storage : Soapstone packed in sacks, dumped along the road near Ganeshpur village
Roadside storage : Soapstone packed in sacks, dumped along the road near Ganeshpur village
Emerging cracks: Since mining started, many houses in Kandekaniyal village have developed cracks. Hemchandra Kandpal shows the damage to his house, which has been repaired thrice. The government constructed a peripheral wall at a cost of Rs 90,000 to prevent damage to the house, but the wall itself has cracked, he says.
Emerging cracks: Since mining started, many houses in Kandekaniyal village have developed cracks. Hemchandra Kandpal shows the damage to his house, which has been repaired thrice. The government constructed a peripheral wall at a cost of Rs 90,000 to prevent damage to the house, but the wall itself has cracked, he says.
Tree loss: Kirpal Singh of Dhapoli village says that oak trees have been cut without permission of the village’s van panchayat to clear grounds for road construction required to undertake mining activities.
Tree loss: Kirpal Singh of Dhapoli village says that oak trees have been cut without permission of the village’s van panchayat to clear grounds for road construction required to undertake mining activities.
River damage: The Punghar river that flows through Bageshwar has become polluted because of soapstone mining in the district. Residents of villages on the riverbank say that the Punghar’s level has risen while water availability has reduced over the years.
River damage: The Punghar river that flows through Bageshwar has become polluted because of soapstone mining in the district. Residents of villages on the riverbank say that the Punghar’s level has risen while water availability has reduced over the years.
Feed pollutant: Residents of Reema valley say that mining causes deposition of dust on plants and leaves that cattle feed on, resulting in animal diseases. Many now buy feed from neighbouring villages or farm in surrounding areas to ensure supply of clean feed for their animals.
Feed pollutant: Residents of Reema valley say that mining causes deposition of dust on plants and leaves that cattle feed on, resulting in animal diseases. Many now buy feed from neighbouring villages or farm in surrounding areas to ensure supply of clean feed for their animals.

This was first published in the 1-15 November, 2024 print edition of Down To Earth

uttarakhand
Bageshwar (D)
Soapstone

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