Maharashtra is on a spree to sign memoranda of understanding with companies to invest in Gadchiroli. The easternmost district of the state borders Chhattisgarh and Telangana, and earlier used to make news mostly for its Naxalite unrest. But since January 2025, the state government has signed contracts that promise investments of more than Rs 70,000 crore.
Apart from its considerable forest wealth, Gadchiroli also has the lion’s share of Maha-rashtra’s iron ore reserves. As per Maharashtra’s mining department website, of the state’s 260.8 million tonnes of iron ore, Gadchiroli has 178 million tonnes.
Currently, only one company undertakes mining activities in the district—Lloyds Metals and Minerals Ltd—which has mined the Surjagarh iron ore for nearly a decade. Between 2018-19 and 2022-23, the company’s iron ore production has increased from 0.6 million tones to nearly 10 million tonnes—a 16-fold rise. However, even with just one mining company functioning in the district, the adverse impacts on the environment and on the health of people living in nearby villages are evident.
In September, Down To Earth (DTE) visited three villages—Hedri, Bande and Mallampad—around the Surjagarh mining area. In Hedri, residents tell DTE that access to clean water has become a major problem. “The Lloyds mining company dug tube wells for us because the surface water got contaminated due to mining activity. However, the tube wells also extract red water,” says Vijay Edo, a 54-year-old farmer. “We use the same water for cooking. The taste of the food is gone, our diets have reduced by 50 per cent and the stomach feels bloated all the time. The red colour even reflects in the urine and stool,” he adds.
Zuru Kaudu, another Hedri resident, says headache, body ache, skin infection and eye irritation have come a part of daily life. “Our joints pain the moment we wake up. Many residents walk with a hunch, taking baby steps for at least half-an-hour before regaining their normal posture,” he tells.
Kaudu also says the dust from mining activity never settles, making breathing heavy. “Even the bruises on our skin do not heal quickly and take at least a month and heavy medication,” he adds. Village residents say that the very first thing the company did after setting up infrastructure was to construct a huge hospital and they rely heavily on it for free treatment ...
This article was originally published in the October 16-31, 2026 print edition of Down To Earth
