Thursday, April 17, 2008

Pissurlem, Mining and Living: Photo Essay

Hanumant Porob, an activist from Pissurlem shares the life of his village with visitors from Muscaurem, Sanguem on what will happen to their village: mountains will be scooped out and turned into ponds like these Pissurlem mines. Muscaurem is being ruined by Timblo mining company. Pic by Philip Neri de Souza (2003).
Once a green mountains but after 50 years of mining for exports it is moon's craters. Chowgules, Sesa Goa, Fomentos, Damodar Mangaljis and Salgaoncars are the chief culprits for destroying village agriculture. Local MLA Pratapsingh Rane have been supervising this for past three decades as Pissurlem is in his Parye Constituency. Pic by Philip Neri de Souza (2003)

This is 95 year old grandmother of Hanumant Porob. In 1950s she worked as a labourer on Pissurlem mines. But after the mechanization of mining industry she has been witness to misery of her villager. According to her not only human being suffer but the plight of animals is worse specially cattle are left with no grazing lands just as Humans are left with no paddy cultivation land. Its silt all over. Pic by Anjoli Bandopadhyay (2003)


This is Deepaji Rane, one of the critics of mining in Pissurlem. He posses before the natural lake that has been once source of water for paddy fields. But subsequently has been silted due to marauding mining industry. Pic by Anjoli Bandopadhyay (2003).



This is an adivasi family in in Dhatwada region of Pissurlem. Mining invasion have been threatening their displacement. Pissurlem village have been displaced twice in past 50 years already. Pic by Anjoli Bandopadhyay (2003)




This is a village member of Panchayat known as Panch sitting with village school children. Children education is completely disrupted due to mining. Government school in Sonxi have been almost under mining dumps. Tuberculosis and lung diseases are common in Pissurlem. Children lead highly vulnerable life in Pissurlem. Pic by Anjoli Bandopadhyay (2003).
Sebastian Rodrigues




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