MINING is the world's second oldest activity (after agriculture)
which provides gainful jobs. The post- Independence industrial scenario has seen India become an important exporter of
mineral ores - especially, to an extent, iron ore. Nearly half of
the iron ore exports from India comes from the tiny island
state of Goa, Since the end of Portuguese colonial rule in Goa,
mining has been one of the state's major industries. But the
boon is a bane. Mining is also devastating this region environmentally. And in the coming days, it may render Goa's
fabulous scenic beauty a mythological entity.
Recently, perhaps for the first time, a senior official of the
Goa administration has been forthright in pointing out the
many problems caused by mining in this idyllic baby of the
Arabian Sea. M Modassir's research led him to conclude that
Goa needs state-level legislation for controlling pollution due
to mining, including compulsory state-level environmental
impact assessments to be undertaken before mining leases are
granted or renewed. This significant study also calls for the
implementation of 'the polluter must pay' principle in a
phased manner, suggesting, therefore, that the money-minters
are not really footing the bill for the bonanza they have been
enjoying.
"Of all industrial activities within the state of Goa, none is
more destructive environmentally than mining. Strip or opencast mining has devastated Goa's fragile ecosystem much
more than a five-star beach resort or the large factories," says
Modassir's study. Modassir currently heads the Goa Industrial
Development Corporation.
Essentially a management dissertation for a degree
from the prestigious University of Hull in Britain, Modassir's
study says that it is important to "assess in detail the various
kinds of damages
caused to the environment and quality of
human life due to mining in Goa".
It had been known for a very long time
indeed, that Goa held in her beauteous
bosom large deposits of iron and manganese
ores. But little attention had been paid to
their study or exploitation till the beginning of this century. Planned geological
studies commenced only after the end of colonial rule in Goa
in 1961, says Modassir.
Geological mapping, accompanied by the regional assessment of mineral deposits, was undertaken by the Geological Survey of India in 1961. These studies are believed
to have provided the first authentic geological map of Goa and
resulted in the assessment of the region's potential mineral
deposits. Among the state's resources, geologists found, were
iron ore, manganese, ferro-manganese, bauxite and quartzites.
About 18 per cent of the state's total area is believed to have
mineral deposits; nearly one-third of this is being
exploited.
To begin with, mining in Goa started decades ago with an
emphasis on manganese ore. But with the growth of Japan's
post-war steel industry, the international demand for iron ore
increased, and hence there was a thrust to change over to the
mining of iron ore. During the rush for mining rights in the
'50s, miners acquired concessions or leases from the then
Portuguese authorities, who had very little knowledge of the
mineral potential of the land.
The concessions were perpetual and gave proprietory
rights for an unlimited period at the price of dirt - in some
cases, for just a few hundred rupees. At one time, a total of 868
leases or concessions - covering an area of 65,400 ha out of
Goa's total surface area of 3,65,563 ha - existed under mining. But many large concessions have since been terminated by
the Government of India, as miners found them to be
unremunerative and gave up mining.
Currently, around 400 leases are in force, covering an approximate 14 per cent of Goa's total land area. Sanguem, an
interior and underdeveloped taluka (an Indian administrative
unit), has the maximum area under mining, followed by
regions like Bicholim, Sattari, Quepern, Ponda and Canacona.
Most of the coastal areas of Goa, which the tourists mainly
visit, do not have mines. Therefore, the pollution problem lies
hidden from the eyes of most visitors to Goa. But the beach is
not everything, and there will come a time when the damage
in the interiors will scar the more visible 'face of the
oceanic idyll.
Out of about 400 existing leases, only about 80 are in operation. Most of the mines are owned or controlled by a handful
of big mineowners, who have their own prospecting and operation wings for working the mines, says Modassir's study. On
the other hand, most small mineowners cannot afford such
facilities, which means that a large number of mines lie
unused.
Between 1968 and 1990, the number of working mines has
been reduced by almost 50 per cent. But at the same time,
production has "increased considerably". Many smaller mine-owners who cannot afford to undertake mining operations
themselves have rented out their concessions or leases to
bigger mine owners.
Goa's mining operations have always been 100 per cent
export oriented. In the early stages, just 100 tonne of ore were
exported. By 1954, however, ore exports touched the one million tonne figure. It hit seven million tonne in 1968, and
touched 10 million tonne in 1971, and in 1993-94,
Goa achieved a new record of 15.16 million tonne of
exported ore.
But as mining became more mechanised and restricted to
open-cast mining, direct employment generation from this
sector decreased. Mining operations, especially those for iron
ore, are largely mechanised. Iron ore mines are worked below
the watertable; large quantities of water is pumped out in a
turbid state. At many places, ripper-dozers (mammoth bulldozers which rip through the earth surface to reach the ore's
level) are used to remove the laterite top soil. Goa's mining is
of an open-cast type, where a lot of waste water is generated
due to excavations 'overburden' (earth covering the ore
deposits).
Most of Goa's mines are located within
the basin of the regionally important
Mandovi and Zuari rivers. "Because
Goa has high rainfall, open-cast mining
is very harmful to the environment,
with mining rejects being washed away
and deposited in the rivers and adjoining agricultural fields," Modassir's
study emphasises. Another study, conducted by scientists IR Sen Gupta and Y
S Singhal in 1985, says that Goa's mines
discard between 1,000 to 6,000 tonne of
waste material of various kinds every day.
Ten large mines are located in the
basin of the Zuari river, while the
remaining 27 are in the Mandovi basin.
Waterstreams and rivers become
highly polluted during the monsoons
due to washoffs from the dumps, and
during the dry season, from mine
waters and slimes from beneficiation
plants (where the ore is washed with Goa's scars., mining
the aim of achieving a slightly higher
grade and quality) in north Goa being pumped out, notes the
study. One estimate says that nearly 50 to 70 per cent of the
bottom-sea life of these rivers has been affected by mining
rejects.
In some of the coastal areas, which see heavy barge traffic
plying its rivers carrying ore, the majority of
khazan (reclaimed, low-lying land protected by
riverside walls) areas have been damaged due to
mining. "Humanmade embankments in some
areas are eroded and the fields are flooded at
high tide. Economical resources have not yet
been made available to improve the strength and
height of the banks," Modassir's study points
out. Goa's reclaimed khazan lands are an engineering marvel of the ancient times. One official estimate says that nearly 2,000 km of embankment walls had been built in the past few centuries to reclaim these low-lying lands, and they
are very similar to the Dutch dykes.
Wastes produced from mining are of varied
types: the rock and soil overburden, mill tailings,
mill water, mine drainage water and windblown particles. The Sen-Singhal study notes
that more wastes are produced from open-pit
mining than from underground operations.
Mining causes environmental problems also due
to residual metal, uneconomic ores, and
discharged water.
In Goa, the damage is all the more evident.
Over 350 sq km of mining concessions and lease
area fall within the forest areas of the Western
Ghat region, leading to a deforestation problem too. Damage
to forest land was noticed, says the study, particularly in areas
around Bicholim, Sirigao, Pissurlem, Sounshi and Surla-Pale
- all mining areas. Those damaged range from scrubby, low-
value forests to thickly grown ones.
"Several economically important plants, like cashew,
coconut and bananas, have disappeared from the slopes of the
mining hills. This is also reflected in the poor biodiversity of
the area. Mining companies felled trees with complete abandon till they were halted in their tracks by the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, which forbids the diversion of forests
to non-forestry uses," adds Modassir's study.
Land has also been degraded and agriculture
damaged. Land degradation is due to three
causes: excavations to win the ore, land use for
dumping, and degradation of nearby areas due
to mining (including agricultural and horticulture areas, silted drains, lakes and water reservoirs). Each year, some 30 million tonne of
rejects are generated and stacked in large dumps.
Much of these rejects are strewn along the roads,
and finally settle in paddy fields, coconut and
arecanut groves.
"Conservative estimates reveal that over 10,000
ha of land in mining areas have been covered by
mining dust," says the Modassir study. In fields
in Bicholim, a north Goa taluka where the dam
age is the worst, the yield has considerably
diminished. Washing from mine rejects covers
the top soil in the fields, rendering them unfit for
agriculture, farmers complain. Mineowners
attempted to purchase land, but "generally they
have been unsuccessful due to disagreements
over prices".
Over a thousand trucks ply daily on the
Tivim-Bicholim-Surla sector, crisscrossing interior Goa's
largely rural areas. Dust spills from ore that is transported in
open trucks leave houses near the roads covered with thick
films of red dust.
Mineowners, an influential lobby in this small state,
apparently have already hit out against the study, and have found good press coverage for their campaign. They allege that
Modassir's study had most of its premises "based on outdated
data". They also claim that the official had failed to pay due
attention to the mining sector's efforts at "controlling
environmental degradation".
Modassir, who himself at one stage had been the director
of Goa's industries and mines department, declines to get
drawn into the controversy. He says that in his position as a
government servant who has submitted an academic dissertation, he will not get drawn into a slanging match. But that has
not quietened the miner's lobby, who feel that his study could
affect their prospects.
Modassir, however, points out that he is not against mining but is calling for responsibility and moderation. His study
has meanwhile drawn attention from afar. The British
Broadcasting Corporation did a feature based on his study.
Goa's immediate task has to be to limit further damage
and restore what has already been affected. Many laws already
exist and, if properly applied, could have a big impact,
Modassir's study suggests. These laws include the Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972, the Water (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981, the Air (Prevention and Control of
Pollution) Act, 1981, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the
Environment Protection Act, 1986, and the Mines and
Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957, with
amendments in 1986.
Suggested protective measures include the suppression of
dust and noise- pollution, reducing pit slopes and maintaining proper drainage to ensure pit stability, scientific
management of ore rejects to arrest debris, steps to
afforest old dumps and re-using of mining rejects to restore
degraded mining pits. Some steps suggested by the directorate
of industry and mines (DIM) to control dust pollution
have elicited a poor response from the mining companies.
This, along with the lack of regular checking by the local
road traMport authorities, has only worsened the problem in
mining areas.
The DIM is concerned that air and water pollution will
affect tourism as well, Goa's major moneyspinner. Thus,
among its other recommendations are measures to recover old
mining areas; long-term research on mining pollution and the
socioeconomic impact; and choosing the right type of tourism
for Goa.
Somewhere along Modassir's thesis, one comes across an
interesting quotation. What is required, one is reminded, is
"not blind opposition to progress, but opposition to
blind progress."
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