Mining trucks trails accident series in Quepem

The serious of accident involving mining truck reported in Quepem town on Thursday lead to traffic jam for over one and half hours which resulted in causing hardships to the public including school children.

The first accident involving mining truck that took place just opposite to Mamlatdar and Collector office. That while negotiating with the turn in front of collector building the mining truck bang into the wall of the adjacent garden.

The second accident that took place involving two mining truck took place near bridge. This resulted in traffic jam over one and half hours. There was a heavy rush of transportation of mining truck via Quepem town that after the line of mining truck reached up to Mother Tereza house Igramol which is around two kms distance.

The third accident involving mining truck was reported late in the evening near petrol pump in which a cyclist was knocked down by the truck. In the accident the cyclist suffered minor injuries.

One Sanjeev Borkar who is having a shop at Quepem informed that accident involving mining truck is a regular feature in Quepem town. “If constant accident and traffic jam took place than in the days to come the business in town will be badly affected.”

Another Shop Owner Evangelisto D’Costa informed that though the mining trucks pass by the side of the Assitant Director, Dy-Collector and mamlatdar office they does nothing to safeguard the safety of the public. Accusing the office of the Dy-Collector office D’Costa stated that the Dy-Collector office just pass order but does not bother whether they are implemented or not. “Are these order passed to keep them in show case or to pacify the agitators when they come on the road?” questioned D’Costa.

John Fernandes

Quepem town bridge cracks due to mining trucks overload

Taking cognizance of Report in newspaper - Herald 24/10/2009 - a concerned Citizen of Quepem Adv. Fredrick Pereira in the interest of public has filed a complaint before Sub-Divisional Magistrate Quepem requesting therein to stop the mining transportation plying over the bridge.

In his complaint filed before the SDM Quepem Copy of which has been forwarded to the District Magistrate, South-Goa , the Executive Chief Engineer P.W.D, P.W.D Minister, Quepem MLA, Adv. Pereira has stated that the Quepem bridge which was constructed about 50 years back has become weak and cracks have been developed to it and as such is not feasible for heavy transportation.

He has further stated that upon bringing this to the attention of the local PWD, the officials were quick to brush aside this grave issue, without applying their mind by cursorily and vaguely declaring that the cracks were a result of unevenness in the road surface.

That on the very same day, 24-10-09, the PWD officials were extra quick to cover up these cracks and other adjacent area with tar and other road building material so as to cover up the cracks, ( like how a wrinkled old woman does, by putting on make-up to appear young and youthful ) and give a false and deceptive impression, that nothing ever happened to the bridge and that it has stood the test of time and also to keep away curious, concerned and apprehensive minds from initiating any action to safeguard the bridge. “Out of sight is out of mind” is the motto behind the cover up by the PWD, who, it appears are doing so under directions of vested interests states the complaint further.

The complaint further states that the local PWD officials ought to have consulted and taken expert opinion in this matter from relevant experts as well as conducted basic tests, as it involves the safety of the bridge and eventually the life of the general public, in the event the bridge should collapse, which appears imminent unless proper and immediate salvage measures are taken

That the deterioration is further aggravated by the continuous and bumper to bumper plying of heavy overloaded trucks laden with iron ore which amounts to multiple Tons of unsafe and dangerous load on the bridge and it appears that the very cause of these cracks is this suggestion.

Adv. Pereira in his complaint prayed to execute the statutory laws and provisions envisaged under the Constitution of India and the Cr.P.C. to safeguard the welfare and safety of the general public..

He has also prayed to ban the movement of heavy traffic from plying over the Quepem bridge in the interest of public safety, until the bridge is declared safe for such use by the concerned and competent authority.

John Fernandes

Mining trucks nuisance in Quepem

Tension rose high in Quepem town on October 27 2009 morning as over a minor accident that occurred in Quepem town the villagers of Quepem on Tuesday blocked the entire mining transportation plying via Quepem town for over an hour.

The villagers of Quepem are annoyed with the reckless operation of mining truck via Quepem as the mining truck are not following the terms and condition which the truck owners and transport contractor has given in writing to the villagers Quepemkar. The series of accident that took place in Quepem Bazar since Friday further annoyed the villagers and were waiting for an opportunity to stop the transport. The minor accident that took place on Tuesday morning followed by a challenge given by a mining sub contractor to one of the villager stating that ‘to stop the mining truck and show” generated the spark.

As soon as the accident took place around fifty villagers from Quepem town gathered and blocked the mining truck. The blocked which started at around 9.00 am continued till 9.45am . The transportation via Quepem town is so heavy that the line of loaded truck reached upto Igramol.

The Quepem P.I. Santosh Narvekar with police team rush to the site and try to pacify the agitating villagers. He told the agitators that they cannot stop transportation and told them that if they don’t want mining transport via Quepem town they can to a get court order. When his attention was drawn to a administrative order and questioned as to why the administrative order passed by the Dy-Collector with regard to mining truck are not implemented he could not reply.


The villagers then accused the police of being agent of the mining company as when the villager come on the road against the mining immediately police appears at the site however does nothing to prevent the nuisance such as overloading, over speeding, traffic ham that is being caused by the mining trucks. They also accused the police of not implementing the administrative orders passed by the Dy-Collector dated 26/11/2008 and 11/5/2009.

Then at around 9.35AM Dy-S.P. Rohidas Patre appeared at the spot and appealed to the agitators to allow the mining truck to go. After a long discussion with the Dy-S.P. that to when the Dy-SP assured that his office will see that the mining truck are obeying all the rules and regulations. At the time of discussion the Dy-SP and his police officer present prevented a reported from taking the photos of the discussion. The agitators then allow the mining transport to ply.
That in spite of the assurance given by the Dy-SP the overloading and over-speeding of the mining truck via Quepem town continued unabated that to in presence of police officers deputed at Quepem town.

Later on the Dy-SP. Called the agitators namely Amol kanekar, Sanjeev Borkar, Evanjelisto D’Costa, Nandan Hegde, Sandeep Dessai, the mining contractor Ashok Naik and other in his office for a discussion.

When contacted Dy-SP. Rohidas Patre denied the charges leveled against the police and stated that the villagers did not blocked the mining truck but stated that the blocked was caused due to the occurrence of miner accident.

John Fernandes

Contaminated Water Supply in Goa

Goa has long been facing a problem of contaminated water, but the response of the authorities is tardy, says FREDDY DIAS in Herald October 29, 2009

Water is essential for life. We need to drink at least 2.5 litres of water daily, which means that every individual consumes nearly 68,475 litres of water in a lifetime. As the population continues to explode and with the rapid pace of industrialisation and development, our requirement for clean and safe drinking water continues to grow.

In Goa, besides the constant interruptions, we have been intermittently facing the problem of contamination of drinking water supply since the last several years. Repeated complaints made to the Water Supply Department (WSD) are either sloppily attended to, or ignored altogether.

The problem of interruption and contamination of drinking water has been plaguing the residents of the state, particularly during the spring and summer months of the year. Not only the cities and towns, but a large number of rural areas too, particularly those along the coastal belt, have been facing the problem of drinking water mixed with dirt, sewage and, in some cases, even worms and tiny insects. Besides, according to recent reports, available drinking water has many more impurities like fluoride, nickel, sulphates, etc. Whatever precautionary measures are claimed to have taken by the authorities concerned, it remains toxic, the effects of which are evident in the form of gastro-intestinal and kidney disorders. The problem is more acute in Goa, where people consume more water because of the tropical weather.

In many rural areas, thousands of people are suffering from skin diseases caused by poor quality of water. Growing industrialisation, mining and widespread use of pesticides are believed to be the reasons behind the deterioration in the quality of water and falling water tables. In fact, in many villages all over the state, drinking contaminated water has become a part of life. Drinking water projects are undertaken at high cost and inaugurated with much fanfare in the state, but if the regular outbreaks of water-borne diseases in the urban areas are any indication, what happens elsewhere can easily be imagined. The drinking water supplied by the government is often found not fit for human consumption, as proved by many cases of typhoid, cholera, dysentery and gastro-enteritis in the state during the last several years.

Doctors at various government as well as private hospitals and clinics say that they have been regularly treating patients for diarrhoea and vomiting. According to doctors, Goa experiences at least two or three bouts of typhoid, cholera and gastro-enteritis every year. There are increasing incidents of jaundice too since the last many years. The most likely cause is infection with the Hepatitis-E virus that is spread from one infected person to another because of contamination of drinking water mixed with sewage water. The disease has of late been spreading in slum areas due to unhygienic conditions there. The answer to this totally preventable outbreak is for the water supply and sanitation agencies to be vigilant. They have to ensure that there is no contamination, repair the leaking pipes, detect early indication of contamination and ensure adequate chlorination of final drinking water.

Tests conducted by some non-government organisations (NGOs) revealed that there was insufficient residual chlorine content to ensure that most disease-causing bacteria in the water will be destroyed. Due to poor maintenance, ignorance on the part of the staff and non-availability of spare parts, the department’s chlorinators are often declared to be out of order. This should be rectified by having adequate spare parts and keeping trained staff.

Besides, in spite of guidelines laid down by the Water Quality Assessment Authority (WQAA) and the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, the procedures adopted by the Water Supply Department to analyse water do not include specific parameters like odour, taste and colour, even as the Act makes such parameters mandatory. In fact, it is pointed out that reports prepared by the WSD fail to outline important parameters like chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD), and total hardness and manganese content as stipulated in the manual of procedures for water treatment under the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department.

A senior official of the state Water Supply Department (WSD), while admitting that during weekly collection of water samples from various supply junctions they did find occasional evidence of contamination mostly due to mud content, maintained that necessary precautions are taken to maintain the minimum level of residual chlorine, and that the WSD was chlorinating the state’s drinking water at various supply points. If there was no human meddling like shutdowns, puncturing of pipes, etc, the chlorine content in the water would be enough.

According to the WSD official, the reason for the murkiness of water, particularly during the monsoons, is due to large-scale of washing of mining rejects into the dams/reservoirs, which increases the turbidity level. The high mud content in drinking water cannot be reduced beyond a certain limit, but extra chlorine was being added, and bacteriological tests conducted by the department have certified that the water is safe for human consumption.The Chairman of the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) Simon de Souza said that the board has increased the frequency of water testing to check for traces of heavy minerals, including manganese and sulphates, in the silt washed into the dams/reservoirs, which is caused due to mines operating in the catchment areas of the reservoirs. According to de Souza, massive quantities of mining silt is being washed into the reservoir’s catchment areas, on account of which inspections and examinations of water by the GSPCB will be held every month for the next year, in order to keep a close check on pollution level in drinking water supply in the State.

Notwithstanding the assurance given by the authorities to improve the filtration and treatment process at the Xelpem water treatment plant in view of increased water turbidity for consumers of South Goa district, the problem still persists on and off. Recently, the Navelim Civic & Consumer Forum, in a letter to the WSD authorities, termed the supply of muddy water as ‘irresponsibility on the part of the government and demanded that the authorities should immediately ascertain that the quality of water is fit for human consumption before distributing it to the consumers. Similarly, activists of Civic & Consumer Forums of Colva, Davorlim and Ganv Ghor Rakhan Manch of Orlim have stressed the importance of developing suitable technologies to ensure safe and potable drinking water supply to citizens.

It is pertinent to note here that a notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest stresses on water quality assessment and monitoring protocol in order to maintain uniformity in water quality monitoring procedures by all agencies, departments, pollution control boards, etc. “The uniform process of water quality monitoring shall provide for parameters for analyses, analytical techniques, quality assurance and quality control system, besides infrastructure required for laboratories, procedures for data processing, reporting and dissemination,” states the notification. Consumers and consumer organisations can, therefore, complain against the department regarding contaminated water supply to the Consumer Redressal Forum and also to the Special Grievances Cell in the Pollution Control Board. Consumer societies can also arrange for frequently testing of drinking water samples to protect consumer interest.

Struggles against Vedanta in India

Presentation by Sayantoni Datta for Convention on Niyamgiri held on 10th October 2009 in New Delhi

A joint meeting with various groups engaged in resistances against mining held in Salem, Tamil Nadu in August 2009 only reiterated that the demand for ‘no mining in Niyamgiri ’ is a judicious one. The notorious company’s modus operandi and unethical practices have been repeatedly exposed across India. People who have been witness to and victims of these large-scale violations called for a strengthening of the campaign against Vedanta’s operations in India in August at the meeting.

I have been requested to share with you a short introduction to the resistances and struggles in the rest of India. It is revealing that while the Court has sanctioned mining in Niyamgiri, the same Court has been taking decisions on stay orders and several violations and malpractices of the company in other states. Vedanta seems to have a certain expertise and confidence in carrying out illegal activities and encroachments, and a history of malfunctioning plants, leakages and accidents. It is ironic that today Vedanta is being blindly touted as the ‘beacon of development’ for Orissa by the Orissa government.

In the last year Vedanta had acquired Sesa Goa and Dempo operations in Goa, well known activist Claude Alvares states ‘The incidents of mining violations on Sesa Goa mining leases are a result of the take-over of the company by Vedanta, a company with one of the poorest environment records in the whole world. Vedanta is pushing iron ore extraction in its Sesa Goa mines beyond the capacity of the environment to absorb destructive damage. Allowing expansion of this company’s operations in Goa can only spell doom for Goa’s natural environment.’[1] I highlight here three crucial litigations, which have been continuing in Goa. The story of Sonshi School, the Sirigaon Litigation and the Advapal Litigation.

At, Advapal village the company had started dumping illegal waste near the Advapal nullah. The huge illegal mining dumps near Advapal nullah, flowed into the nullah, destroying the concrete embankments and flowed into peoples homes and paddy fields. 9-year-old Akash Naik and his mother filed a PIL in Bombay High Court on September 19, 2009. After the PIL was filed, it was found that the company had not adhered to its mining plan and was engaged in illegal dumping of mine waste. The Bombay High Court ordered a stay order on Phase 1 and Phase 2 mining in Advapal. Flow of mining wastes and siltation into paddy fields and homes is devastating the village and creating inhabitable conditions. Akash shares that even though he is nine, he must take on this responsibility, for he was fed up of seeing the people in his village battling with policemen and local politicians, if they do not act, there would be nothing left in future.

Just as mining is creating darkness in our natural environments in the future, so too is its role in creating darkness in children’s lives. Sonshi school in Sattari, Goa is now surrounded by 5 mining sites, and children are studying in the midst of mining dust and elevated noise from the mines. There is no playground and running water in the school, mining overburden has been dumped upto 10 ms near the steps of the school. Only one teacher remains in the school who is extremely fearful of taking any action. Filing of RTIs has had no response and activists like Durgadas Gaonkar have been threatened on the same. It is a clear case of encroachment of Government Land by Sesa Goa, but most are fearful of severe repression by mining companies and mafia there. Children are left with very little alternative as the nearest. school after Sonshi is 10 kms away. Because of the inhuman conditions, attendance has dropped drastically in the school.

At Sirgaon village members petitioned the Court when they found that their wells had begun to dry up, alleging depletion of water resources, degradation of agricultural fields vis-ả-vis the mining activity in Sirigaon village (Bicholim Taluka) in North Goa District. The Goa bench of Bombay High Court ordered for a detailed investigation, which was conducted by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute based in Nagpur. The findings in the NEER report stated that there are three mining companies involved which include Dempo, Vedanta’s subsidiary, Chowgule and Rajaram Bandekar Mines. The landscape here is completely changed. While the topographic highs have disappeared, large depressions or mining pits have been dug which have gone below –20m(amsl) to 43 m (amsl). The report states that ‘the deepening of the mines resulted in the loss of recharge area for the wells and the soil analysis results indicate that the silt deposition from the mining overburdens has degraded the soil fertility in the agricultural fields of Sirigaon village. Proper slope stabilization needs to be carried out in the mining areas to minimize runoff of the overburden dump material to the nearby agricultural fields. 660.25 lakhs rupees has been estimated by the report for mitigative measures such as recharging the aquifer, making arrangements for rainwater harvesting, stabilizing slopes in the area’[2]. The next hearing is due to come up today for Sirigaon and the Court has given a temporary stay order on mining for the time being. People of Sirigaon are saying no to any further mining in the area.

It is interesting to see the confidence with which Vedanta has acquired these very mines which have reached their tether in terms of extraction and are now impacting their neighbouring or peripheral areas, illegally dumping wastes, encroaching on lands and drawing water from neighbouring sources. The first impact of mining is on water, Goa’s water, land, housing, forests, and agriculture have been severely impacted by mining.

In fact the struggle groups in Tuticorin in south of India where Vedanta had imported ‘a secondhand, decommissioned copper smelter plant from Australia’[3], complain about how water has been drawn out from the area and now the company provides water to the residents for only four hours a day. Tuticorin struggles started when fish workers found that the company was discharging its chemical effluents into the river and the sea. The company had violated all the three conditions of the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, that a plant must be situated 25 kms away from Gulf of Manar; 1 km away from residence and 500 metres away from water sources[4]; all the conditions have been violated. Plus Gulf of Manar comprises the National Marine Park and special species. Exasperated by Vedanta’s flouting of all rules and recommendations; of dumping piles of phospho gypsum, the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on Hazardous Wastes ordered a shutting down of the smelter in July 2005 as it fully violated the Hazardous Waste Act 1989 rules.

MALCO manufacturing Aluminium bought over by Vedanta in 1996 went on a major expansion drive. Bauxite mined from Yercaud (Shervarayon ranges) & Kolli hills (home to shola forests) was transported to Mettur plant . From 1996 the company in Kolli hills had been mining illegally till 2008 without a single mandatory permission. On a petition in the High Court, Chennai the company admitted to its illegalities, mining was shut down at MALCO. Presently a 135 mw thermal plant is in operation and there is a proposal to expand it to 1035 mw. Salem city groups & Mettur farmer associations are currently warning the company of doing so[5].

The company has operated the bauxite mines without permissions for more than 10 years, where the mining lease expired in 1998. The company's Consent to Operate issued by the Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board under the Air and Water Acts expired in 2002. MALCO's mines also did not have permission from the Hill Area Conservation Authority, or environmental or forest clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests. The company has deposited a mountain of toxic "Red Mud" - a highly caustic by-product of smelting - on the banks of the Stanley Reservoir on River Kaveri.. The company assures to clear of all of this. Local activists state that this would take three years if 50000 tonnes is removed every month.[6]

‘Going by bauxite production figures declared by Vedanta in its 2008 annual report, the company is estimated to have removed more than 3 million tonnes of bauxite from the Kolli Hills despite having no permission to do so since 2002’[7].

There is no guarantee on the other hand that this would benefit anyone locally, in a study conducted by the India Resource Centre, ‘In the first quarter of 2003, Sterlite’s sales rose 14%. Its export turnover grew threefold (by 201%), while its domestic turnover fell by nearly a quarter. The company’s tax provision tumbled by 84%, to a large extent
because the increase in exports enabled the company to benefit from tax breaks on export profits.’[8]

In a meeting with Bankers held in London in September 22, 2009 many of the banks were shocked at some of the facts, in a discussion held under Chatham House Rules, a Dutch Bank which has now disinvested but had been engaging with the Company to reform itself, gave a final conclusion that Vedanta the company is not willing to acknowledge any of the problems it is causing, and is beyond reform.

Through these experiences we have found that whether a Dempo, a Balco, a Sesa Goa or a Vedanta, the colour of mining practices have been the same. It has brazenly flouted rules and regulations and standards on environment, labour, land acquisition, pollution parameters, and safety precautions for the local people, and to continue doing so it has used local police force, and government bodies in a nexus to support these acts, using overt acts of repression through threats, kidnapping, police harassment, defamation suits and subtle repressive measures such as surveillance on those voicing discontent.

Acknowledgements
1. Presentation on Goa Mining Issues: Summary with urgent appeals, Conference of bankers financing Vedanta , London,September 22, 2009
2.http://www.mandgoa.blogspot.com/
3.Vedanta Salem Meeting Report prepared by Isha Agarwal
4.Vedanta Dossier and Letter to the Jury of Golden Peacock Awards
5.Ravages Through India, India Resource Centre http://www.google.co.in/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=ravages+through+india&meta=&aq=f&oqta=&aq=f&oq=
6.http://www.minesandcommunities.org/

7.Sirigao: NEERI Report to High Court - Executive Summery
8.Sebastian Rodrigues http://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@lists.goanet.org/msg50594.htmlhttp://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@lists.goanet.org/msg50594.html
9.Sebastian Rodrigues, GOAMAP
10.Piyush Sethia, Speak Out Salem






[1] http://www.mandgoablogspot.com/ http://mandgoa.blogspot.com/search/label/Vedanta

[2] Sirigao: NEERI Report to High Court - Executive Summery By Sebastian Rodrigues http://www.mail-archive.com/goanet@lists.goanet.org/msg50594.html

[3] Ravages Through India,
[4] As shared by activists from Tuticorin at Salem Meeting, July 2009, Vedanta Salem Meeting Report
[5] Piyush Sethia, Speak Out Salem
[6] www.minesandcommunities.org
[7] ibid
[8] Ravages through India

Curpem, Sanguem threatened by Dempo mine of Vedanta

These are the pictures on 20 October 2009 of liked polluted water from Dempo mine in Curpem, Sanguem. Dempos mines are owned by British corporate Vedanta. Leakages is threatening People's residential houses at Chimutwada, Curpem in Sanguem taluka.

This mine poses grave danger to the locals as this leakage on the top of mountain can lead to collapse of the mining dump. In case the collapse takes place then entire locality of people of Chimutwada likely to face a disaster.

Irked Ladfe-Bicholim locals block mining trucks

Irked with pollution caused in the village due to mining transportation, residents of Ladfe-Bicholim on Tuesday blocked mining trucks from Kalne-Dodamarg, Maharastra.

It may be recalled that the residents had last week submitted a memorandum to Bicholim Deputy Collector D H Kenaudekar demanding a halt on mining transportation through their village.

However, the transport continued plying through Ladfe and on Tuesday at about 10 am, about 150 agitated villagers came on the road and blocked around 50 ore-loaded trucks at Ladfe.

Bicholim MLA Rajesh Patnekar rushed to the site and supported the agitation. Bicholim Mamlatdar Pramod Bhat, Bicholim Police PI Madkaikar, Bicholim Congress Committee President Naresh Sawal also rushed to the site.

Residents fear the heavy mining traffic would pose a threat to the people at the temple, milk society, primary school and Shishuvatika school, all located along the roadside.

“Besides, the village and fields are also near the road,” complained the residents.

The villagers have demanded a complete stoppage of mining transportation through the village, which is being regulated from Maharashtra.

Later, Mamlatdar Pramod Bhat had a discussion with agitatators, who demanded that the transport contractor should be called at the site, but he was not available.

In order to solve the problem, Mamlatdar Bhat has convened a meeting in his cabin at Bicholim on Wednesday.

However, the villagers including MLA Patnekar and Sawal strongly suggested to stop the mining transport and no compromise should be made.

BICHOLIM CORRESPONENT ADDS: Tension gripped Bordem-Bicholim late Tuesday evening, as several mining trucks plying from Maharashtra to Bicholim were blocked by an irate mob at Bordem.

The incident occurred at about 8.30 pm, when a mining truck in a bid to overtake was about to hit a motorcycle rider at Bordem. The situation became tense, as the truck driver in turn tried to argue with motorcycle rider. Soon a mob gathered at the site and punctured the tyres of the truck.

Anticipating trouble, the truck driver fled from the site. The mob gathered at site stopped all the trucks plying from the road. The entire traffic along the road, including buses and private vehicles, were stopped.

Speaking to reporters, Anand Narvekar of Shiv Sagar group from Bicholim expressed displeasure over the mining trucks plying along the narrow roads in Bicholim.

“We will submit a memorandum to Bicholim Mamlatdar on Wednesday to take steps against the mining transport in Bicholim,” said Narvekar.


Herald, Wednesday, 21 October, 2009

Goa Chief Minister Digambar Kamat must make time to solve mining created problems

Goa Federation of Mines Affected People (GOAMAP) takes strong objection to the statement of Goa Chief Minister Digmabar Kamat that he has no time to solve the problems created by mining industry in Sirigaon, Bicholim.

Mr. Kamat has been quoted in Forbes Asia magazine of October 5 2009, published from New York with regards to water and agriculture problems created due to rampant irresponsible mining in Sirigaon. On page 23 in an article titled "...Meantime, in Goa" Digambar Kamat was asked when the State might act on the court-ordered report, Goa Chief Minister barked "I don't have time for this" and slammed down the phone on writer Megha Bahree.

It man be noted that National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) had submitted the report to the Goa bench of Bombay High Court some months ago pointing out how open cast mining has led to the depletion of ground water and silting of agriculture in Sirigaon village.

Considering all this evidence it is shocking that Goa Chief Minister has no time to pay attention to this very serious problem confronting Sirigaon as well as Goa.

GOAMAP urges Goa Chief Minister to make time and on priority basis to solve mining generated problems related to water, agriculture, forest, air pollution etc in Sirigaon and rest of Goa too.

Even a child knows mining is bad!

By Pradnya Gaonkar in Goan Observer, Panaji, October 17 – 23, 2009

Nine-year-old Akash Naik from Advalpal has taken on the mining lobby, which has already destroyed large tracts of land in Goa and threatens to obliterate the remaining green patch in the state. Akash Naik has filed a petition against Sesa Goa, charging them of unlawful mining activity in Advalpal. He has also alleged that the company has managed to extend its expired mining lease. In an interim order, the Goa bench of Bombay High Court restrained Sesa Goa from any mining operations at the firm’s Advalpal mining lease.

Nefarious mining activity is a long standing grievance of the community in Advalpal as it has adversely affected many lives in the region. Akash’s petition has jolted the leading mining company owned by the UK-based Vedanta Group. The company, led by Anil Agarwal, recently made headlines when it bought mining leases worth Rs.17.50 billion from Dempo Group. Akash has been backed by the Goa Foundation, which is pursuing several litigations against mining firms.

SIDE-EFFECTS

Akash, in his petition, has expressed concern over the destruction caused to agricultural lands, the source of livelihood for around 2000 people residing in the area. The water bodies, which are essential for farm holdings, are chocked due to mining rejects dumped near human settlements. The rejects are being dumped in mining pits. The rainwater drains off these sediments in nearby water bodies and fields, destroying cultivable land. Although the same situation is prevalent in other regions of the state where mining takes place, the side effects are especially acute in Advalpal and Sarvona. In June 2009, when the first rain showers hit the state, villagers residing in Advalpal and Poire in Bicholim faced the consequences of irresponsible mining activity. In areas like Gaonkar wada and Voilo wada in Advalpal, water from the reservoirs dug to collect rain water gushed down the red mined terrain, overflowed and rushed into the houses of those residing at the foot of slope. The mining silt in the water contaminated houses, garden and fields, leaving them uncultivable.

Ramakant Gaonkar’s fields and those of a several others were left thickly layered with red mine silt. At Voilo Wada, the heavy flow of mucky water damaged the rear wall of Atmaram Naik’s house. To avoid the mine sludge running down the slope in fields, huge reservoir are dug to accumulate rain water. Large pipes are placed along the slope to drain out water from the mines into canals. The water from these canals is diverted to these reservoirs. According to the villagers, the reservoir built initially could not sustain the amount of water and eventually another reservoir was dug up to divert overflowing water. But the continues heavy showers of rain filled all the reservoirs. The mud in the area became damp as a result the outer walls of the canals and the reservoirs collapsed. This led the water from the canals down the slope into the houses of those residing in the area. The farmers who used to cultivate their fields once in a year are now left with no fields to sow the crops. The thick sludge in the fields are crude iron powder dumped at the mines. This slurry hampers crop growth leaving the farmers helpless. The draining of reject in the fields has become an annual phenomenon for those residing in these areas.

ZANTYE & CO

Ramesh Gauns, an environmentalist and member of the Goa Federation of Mines Affected People (GOAMAP), has highlighted another case involving Zantye and Company Pvt Ltd. In a petition filed before the Delhi High Court, Ramesh Gauns had challenged the order of National Environmental Appellate Authority (NEAA) dismissing his appeal against the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) for granting Environmental Clearance to a project where a public hearing was conducted even before the approved Environment Impact Assessment report was prepared. The Delhi High Court took cognizance of the casual manner in which appeals were dismissed by the NEAA without much application of mind.

Zantye and Company Private Limited’s mining lease covers an area of 72 ha in Sarvona. Ramesh Gauns has alleged that Shantaram Zantye, owner of the company, submitted a false affidavit before the Goa State Pollution Control Board to get NOC by quoting a Total Estimated Investment of Rs.278 lakhs. A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by I.N.Kolar, general manager of Trimurti Exports, a registered firm which agreed to pay Rs.11.10 crore for an area of 5,80,333 sq ms out of 7,20,000 sq ms. Gauns has alleged that Shantaram Zantye (the lessee) is in breach of the provision of Deed of Lease where the state government is a lessor (part 7 of the covenants of the lessee/lessees, transfer of lease 17,18). Gauns has also claimed that Shantaram Zantye made a false representation through I.N.Kolar during the joint Site Inspection requested by the Goa State Pollution Control Board (GSPCB) in December 2007. I.N.Kolar also represented Zantye and Co pvt Ltd in matters of NEAA though he is respondent in the matter in the court of the Deputy Coilector Bicholim (Case No SDM/BICH/133/CRPC/2006/04) where he is listed as general manager of Trimurti Exports.

Also, this is the only mining lease in Goa which exists on the banks of the flood prone river in Bicholim. Therefore, the lease is subject to termination under section 4 of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957. It has also been observed that the mine was not operated continuously for more than 20m years. Therefore, the lease should have been terminated by the state government as per Rule 28, lapsing of leases under the Minerals Concession Rules 1960. More importantly, the Tillari irrigation canal passes through the leased area, covering approximately 38,000 sq ms of land.

NEAA HEARING

Land acquisition was challenged in the High Court by the project promoter. The petition hearing went in favour of Tillari irrigation. The state government has spent Rs. Eight Crore on disilting of River Bicholim as a precautionary measure in May 2009. These vital issues relating to the case were not considered by the NEAA in its order. This led the Delhi High Court to direct the NEAA to rehear the Sarvona Mining case. The government authorities are also allegedly trying to conceal the ill effects of mining by ‘tempering’ with the annual official production figures. The Department of Mines reported that the production of iron ore in 2001-2003 from this mine was 15 tonnes while the Indian Bureau of Mines, Fatorda has stated that there was no production till 2007. The report of the Environment Impact Assessment prepared by the project promoter was approved by the Controller of Mines (South Zone) Bangalore with ore to waste ratio as 1:3.41 whereas the Indian Bureau of Mines report on ore to waste is 1:8.56.

The M/s Zantye Company has submitted Annexure to form 1(a) for NOC from the Goa State Pollution Control Board which lists varying figures on waste. As per the Environmental Clearance and Annexure to form 1(a), the area needed to dump rejects is 716.503 ha but, as per the Environmental Clearance and Indian Bureau of Mines, the area actually required is 596.2974 ha. “Every violation and erroneous data has been brought to the notice of the concerned department and also to the Chief Secretary and Chief Minister, but they have not responded to these allegations since 2007. According to the modification order from the Controller of Mines South Zone, the project promoter has to appoint a manager and statutory officials as per the Mines Act 1952, but this has not been complied with,” underlines Gauns.

The mining menace in areas like Bicholim has drawn the interest of people across the world, especially when a mining giant like Vedanta is involved. A group led by Adv Krishnendu Mukherjee, a barrister who spent 13 years in the United Kingdom, is now fighting against Vedanta group’s activities in Bicholim. While researching the ill effects of mining carried out by the firm, Mukherjee discovered that mining had effected the education of children residing in the area. A small village called Sonshi in Sattari taluka was selected as the study area. There is only one government primary school in vicinity with 12 students and one teacher. In the year 2003, Sesa Goa started a beneficiation plant close to the school premises. There are a total of five major mines operating in the area, but the Sesa Goa plant is the closest and the largest. The mine is located a mere ten meters away from the school, causing serious health hazards to the students.

AFFECTING CHILDREN

During the study, they found no running water available in the school which was also affected by the high noise and dust levels. Mining slurry containing arsenic was causing contamination of near by canal water flowing behind the school. It was indeed breach of statutory duty and of the right to education Department which did not show any concern to the issues of the students studying in this school. Since it is a government primary school, mining was carried out by encroachment on government lands. It is indeed surprising that there has been no test carried out by the government authorities to study the impact on environment. When Mukherjee and his group tried to speak to the teacher was hesitant to speak as she was apprehensive of being pressurized by the department heads. A day later, a guard was posted near the school to interrogate visitors.

When the group tried to retrieve information under the Right to Information Act regarding education standards at schools, the Department of Education responded that there was only one school in the entire village. “It is obvious that the Education Department is not concerned about the depleting standards of the school and is giving a free hand to violators,” avers Krishnendu Mukherjee. “No studies have been carried out by the so called environment and social welfare monitoring authorities in these areas to point out the impact of mining in Goa. The actual picture is worse than one can imagine. Mining cannot be termed as an industry in Goa, but the government still considers it the backbone of the state’s economy. If mining was an industry then, according to the Atlas map prepared by the Indian Bureau of Mines, it should be ten kilometers away from any water body. But most of the mines in Goa are along the banks of rivers,” points out Ramesh Gauns.

The overall mining scenario in Goa needs to be reviewed as the figures mentioned by Gauns are a cause of great concern. In North Goa, the Mandovi catchments area, which covers 980 sq ms, has ten mines in its vicinity. Every year, 270 tonnes of mining rejects are dumped in the Mandovi catchments area and 33.33 tonnes in the Zuari catchments area. Around 1800 barges ply in the Mandovi system and 1500 in the Zuari. An analysis of these figures reveals the alarming fact that reject sediments dumped in the rivers increases turbidity in the rivers increases, decreases light penetration and, in turn, affects marine eco systems. According to figures in the Economic Survey, the fish catch in the state has dropped over the last two years, which can be correlated to mining. The ore to mine reject ratio in Goa is 1:3, which means that only one part of the ore extracted is used where as the remaining finds its way to fields and water bodies.

In spite of the agitations and cases piling up in various courts in the country, the government appears to be ignoring the unlawful and irresponsible business carried out by mining companies. While it is understood that the mining industry employs a large section of the population and contributes to the economy, it is imperative that those involved are ‘responsible’. If the disastrous effects of mining are obvious to a nine-year-old child, why isn’t it to the government?

Shivsorem mining induced de-forestation pictures

On October 09 2009 mining companies went on rampage cutting down forest at Shivsorem, Rivona.

Here we share pictures in this regard.

For more details click here.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Shaving of Forest in Colamb

With active collusion between Forest department and mining companies forest cover in Colamb is being shaved to clear way for the mining industry to penetrate deep into the ground to extract iron ore and manganese. These pictures are from A.X.P. Palondicar mining lease 17/49. It is designated land as "Government Forest" by Sawant and Karapurkar committee report covering survey number 72 and declared as "No development zone under Goa Regional Plan 2021. Miners in Goa cares a hoot for the regional plans or for the laws for they have they have plenty of currency grease to service Indian Politicians and bureaucrats at all the levels. This deforestation began on August o4 2009 and subsequently continued. Mining operations has began too. Here are pictures clicked on October 18 2009.

Sebastian Rodrigues with picture inputs from Devidas Gaonkar

Chapora river whose banks Vedanta wants to mine at Pirna, Goa

Sesa Goa mining company owned by British corporate has developed insatiable desires to mine the Chapora river banks at Pirna, Bardez. for more information on this click here.

This picture from the top of Chopem-Siolim bridge in Bardez.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Western Ghats explodes, Canacona floods and Aftermath

By Sebastian Rodrigues

October 15, 2009

While the Indian Nation was paying homage to the father of the nation M.K. Gandhi on his birthday on October 02, 2009 Goa’s Canacona taluka was under special surprise – Floods. Gandhi today has very special relevance in this context particularly so for the kind of development model he proposed for the country. If India had to follow the development path that Gandhi advocated Canacona today would have not been under such horrible floods wiping away the villages and causing misery to life in human, animal and plant form.

One is completely justified to ask as to what Gandhi’s ideas has got to do with causes of floods. Gandhi advocated particular pattern of development wherein poorest of the poor would be the centre of development paradigm. This model was disregarded by the Indian ruling elites of the times led by Jawaharlal Nehru and Dams came to be regarded as ‘Temple of modern India”. It is this development model that is possibly responsible to causing horror filled floods to Canacona between October 01 to 03, 2009.

There are various propositions as to what caused floods even as relief work goes on at this time. There are few who advocated that it is siltation of three rivers in Canacona that caused floods. Siltation in turn was cause by changes in pattern of agriculture of the local Canacona tribal farmers who shifted to chemical fertilizers. This may be only part contributor to aggravate the situation but not the main cause.

There are still other who suggest that the floods was caused by Tsunami like wave in the Arabian Sea following earthquake in Indonesia on the same day. This is not possible as waves did not hit the coast in Goa or any other rivers witnessed floods - even minor ones.

There are still suggestions put forward that there could be saline water intrusion due to open cast iron ore and manganese mines operations in Quepem and Sanguem as the water has reached below sea level inside the mining pits. It is mostly likely may not be the cause and I personally feel it too far fetch hypothesis at this stage as there are no mines operating in Canacona. If mining pits would have to be cause of this phenomenon through intrusion of ground water into the Canacona mountains then it would has to happen gradually first showing the signs in the entire coastal to hinterland landscape. To my information this is not the case and it is counter productive to immerse into opportunism and attribute every occurrence to mining industry without complete investigations. Mining is an independent disaster that has unfolded in Goa chiefly because of greed of business class and actively colluded by State politicians. Mining in Goa has stop in any case. It does not require floods to fuel panic to serve as crutches to the ongoing campaign against mining industry in Goa.

There are still suggestion that there was a phenomena of cloud burst leading to unusually high amount of rainfall that crossed 65 centimeters. Goa gets seasonal rainfall of 255 centimeters and 65 centimeters on single day was beyond usual flow of the Canacona rivers. While it is true that there was this heavy rainfall it is still not the direct cause as the water that was responsible for the floods came from at least five simultaneous explosions driven landslides deep into the Western Ghats mountain range in Canacona.

The question is as to how this unheard of phenomenon occurred? How did the explosions in mountains caused? From where did such massive amounts of water was stored that found its ways into Canacona montains. I have been closely associated with Canacona over the past few years via my association with Gawda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED) - and volunteer time shared with Nature Environments Society and Transformations (NEST) for five years - has been concerned about safety of people there. News of floods betrayed my understandings completely. This is from where my inquiries began.

My inquiries with the villages revealed that there is no trace of such an even in their memories. So far I have not come across any records of this kind of phenomena even in local folklore that I have been trying to get insight into for sometime now. So it is a new cause of the flood in combination with various ancillary factors.

What is striking is the magnitude of water flowing from deep inside the forests downwards crossing the Margao-Karwar highway towards Arabian Sea; in between washing away parts of Khotigao and Poinguinim villages washing away roads, bridges, tall trees, houses, animals and also two human beings one of whom was an expert swimmer according to the T.V. documentary prepared by Sandesh Prabhudessai telecasted on private channel ‘Prudent Media’ on October 14, 2009.

At one point documentary points to the spot high on the mountains in Canacona where the cave like opening is visible and from where giant flow of water oozed out from giving rise to the one of five temporary rivers flowing forceful for over one day. This is a very interesting aspect of this documentary. It gives some hints at the possible cause. My thesis is as under:

There is long cave network in the region that is measurable in kilometers. It may have its networks from Rivona in Sanguem to the North of Khotigao to well beyond Goa’s border touching Karnataka to the South of Khotigao Mountains. There are major dams towards both sides of Khotigao Mountains – Selaulim dam towards north of Khotigao in Goa and Supa dam towards South of Khotigao mountains inside Karnataka.

Five points of forceful opening in mountains could be the veins of this cave networked that got burst out after its existing openings were unable to carry the magnitude of water inside the cave network. I am aware of existing cave network in Rivona panchayat jurisdiction. One of opening is where now Hiralal Khodidas mine operated by Fomento mining company is in operation in Colamb It was noticed December 2007 while it opened up and quickly it was covered up to avoid any threat the continuity of its mine operations! There are other openings around too. This is very significant in the light that simultaneous to Canacona floods there were large scale spilling of water in Colamb too. Kushavati river was overflowing that day by one and half meter and noticed by the villagers.

Now the question is from where so much water did entered the caves? My understanding is that there possibly is disruption in the cave network has opened up to receive river full of water from some source possibly for the first time of its existence. What could be the sources then? Mining pits already flooded with water could be one plausible source. The second plausible source could be the pressures from Selaulim and Supa dam created rupture to the age old cave network creating openings the rocks in porous locations and diverting the flow of water blocked by damming of rivers.

The question that arises is that even if this is a possible diversion of water how did it reached mountain tops in Canacona? This could be the case in two circumstances, firstly if the mountains in Canacona are below the water level in Selaulim and Supa dams – which local villagers in Canacona suspect. Secondly, it could be the case that the cave netwoks has vulnerable prevalence its veins in this forests and with slight entry into the network led to the gushing is of Entire River(s) dammed by concrete and iron combination on both Selaulim as well as Supa dams. With the force and pressure generated from the source of entrance into the Cave veins it is immaterial if the water gets openings even above the level of water. Because of these phenomena veins of Cave network burst opened at least five known destinations.

Government of Goa has appointed a committee to investigate these phenomena to understand these phenomena. It is headed by Dr. Satish Shetye, Director of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) to provide official interpretation to the cause of Canacona floods.

In my common sense understanding the water that caused Canacona floods originated from either Supa or Selaulim dam. It is not known if the officially appointed government committee will understand the phenomena and the same conclusion as mine will be arrived at by the officially appointed committee by Goa government as this is a dangerous conclusion for the establishment as it means defiling temples of modern India. My colleague Ramesh Gauns is skeptical about this and he fears that this committee will be used to do another cover up for the establishment and wants somebody deeply and critically engaged involved in Western Ghats ecology to carry on the investigation. I totally support him also from my own understanding as to how Scientists manipulate to serve the business and the State in return for some goodies dished out to them to conceal truth and be at the service of the lobbies that benefit from exploitation of nature. I will not name any scientist here but mining industry is one such example because of which scientists at NIO have ignored mining disaster in Goa for the past 20 years and its past director Dr. Untawale even publicly scolded youth from Pissurlem for raising the issue of destruction of agriculture in Pissurlem, Sattari because of mining on April 01, 2001 at Village Panchayat hall, Old Goa, Goa. This shows the mindset of mainstream scientists in Goa – tradition of bootlicking and cowardice. I had to get up and publicly challenge him on the spot to defend freedom of Speech and Expression! I hope Dr.Shetye will muster all the courage to stand for the truth even if its findings are different from mine. If he doesn’t then nature is a truth with all its bounty and all its fury. Everyone can move ahead smoothly when we understand laws of nature and this is one such moment of lifetime to Dr.Shetye just as it has been moment of reckoning and resilience to People of Canacona.

You may contact journalist who made on the spot video documentation telecasted it on TV Channel ‘Prudent Media’ on October 14, 2009 Sandesh Prabhudesai in case you want to inquire about the flood situation at his mobile number 09422063000. Sandesh himself comes from flood affected Canacona taluka in Goa.

If somebody competent concerned about Western Ghats ecology and critical engagement with is willing to look into this. If interested then please contact Ramesh Gauns to follow up at his mobile number: 09270085105.

Goa’s Public Hospitals in a Mess

FREDDY DIAS turns the spotlight on the numerous problems and deficiencies in Goa’s government hospitals

It is an oft-heard complaint in government hospitals in Goa that while the actual medical treatment is of good quality, it is the other allied services that upset the patients and leave them with a feeling that they should never have gone to such a place. In fact, a cursory survey among patients in major government hospitals (GMC, Bambolim, Asilo, Mapusa, and Hospicio, Margao) throws up a telling statistic – more than 40 per cent of in-patients had approached private doctors before coming to the government hospitals.

No one actually wants to go to a public hospital. If they are there, it is because they had no other choice. Such is the credibility of public hospitals in Goa today that the middle class avoids them entirely. What were once the leading hospitals in the state, and perhaps in the country, have seen a gradual decline, which has been created by the government’s indifference towards public health in the last few decades.

In the 60s or, for that matter, even earlier, during Portuguese rule, when a new patient was admitted in a public hospital, he or she could be sure to find clean sheets, pillow cases and towels on the bed. But today a patient entering a ward is greeted with filthy sheets, soiled pillowcases and no towels. Drug shortages were unheard of then. In sharp contrast, there is a constant shortage of drugs today, and in fact certain essential medicines are not available in public hospitals for several months.

Enquiries at GMC Hospital revealed that stretchers and wheelchair oxygen supplies were available in the ratio of one for ten patients, while half the patients make do without bedpans, urine pots and spittoons. There is a constant scarcity of water supply at the hospital and, as a result, various wards and particularly the toilets are often found to be in filthy and unhygienic condition. A recent report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Health said that it was totally disheartening to see the poor standards of cleanliness in the GMC hospital and called for a thorough review of the performance of various agencies entrusted with the task of cleanliness. “Mere outsourcing of sweeping and swabbing operations to private agencies will not ensure the best standards of cleanliness expected within the premises of the GMC hospital,” the report says.

The GMC hospital, as is the case at all the other government hospitals, has been facing irregular water supply. The scarcity of water is more acute in the hospital laboratories where running water in the taps is very much required for washing test tubes and sterilising medical instruments. As a result, some of the emergency tests pertaining to patients in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) are delayed.

Many doctors are also being drawn from government to private hospitals, whose lucrative offers are difficult to resist. The situation will only get worse, with private hospitals coming up everywhere and they are certain to poach the staff at government hospitals, which provide the best training ground for doctors but whose working conditions provide no incentive to stay on.

In fact, as informed to the State Legislative Assembly in response to an unstarred question during the last session of the house, twenty posts of doctors were vacant in various departments of the GMC Hospital. Important departments such as general surgery, orthopaedic, medicine, neuroeurgery do not have adequate number of doctors, while existing staff is compelled to shoulder additional responsibilities.

The Department of Neurosurgery handles 7-10 emergency cases every day and has to perform about 500 operations a year, but it has only three senior consultants, two full-time and one appointed on contract. Similarly, the Orthopaedic Department, which has to handle emergency accident cases besides its regular quota of oethopaedic cases, currently has two posts vacant. According to a senior doctor of the hospital, it is difficult to fill up the vacancies because the pay scale of the government is unattractive in relation to what is offered in the private sector.

Hospital heads blame deteriorating services on sheer numbers. The GMC Hospital alone treats around 7-8 lakh patients in its OPD annually, as patients often bypass peripheral services to come straight to the hospital. GMC Hospital doctors say that 60 per cent of the load in the OPD is due to simple fever and diarrhoea, largely caused by poor living conditions. This would decrease if drinking water and sanitation were improved in the state and then there would be enough resources left in the hospital to treat real illnesses. According to government doctors, overloading is the primary problem in in-patient care, which has led to sharing of beds by patients and putting mattresses on the corridors outside the wards.

The real problem, however, is lack of adequate funding. While the allocation for health has increased considerably over the decades, it is not enough, as in real terms the funds have decreased because it has not accounted adequately for inflation. As a percentage of the total government budget, health has actually dipped from about 36 per cent in the 60s to 28 per cent at present. Of this, 70-75 per cent is spent on salaries of the staff. Moreover, doctors say that while it is not so difficult to buy equipment, it is more difficult to get the necessary funds to maintain it or for other consumables like medicines, gloves, linen, etc. Even when supplies arrive, there is no guarantee that they will reach the patient. For example, while more then seven bedsheets per patient were supplied to the hospital, the number actually available was three, while with towels, two per patient were supplied but none made available.

An official of the Health Department, however, says this will change now, as there has been a decision to allow the hospital heads to directly place orders for one-off purchases of medical supplies and other allied necessities, instead of going through the usual long-drawn procedure. And even while the government official claimed that many of the patients are well off, doctors say that the patients profile is primarily poor, and that 80 per cent of the patients who come to public hospitals are the poorest of the poor, who include migrant labourers and slum dwellers. They simply cannot afford to pay for medical services.

One of the main reasons why people, particularly Goans, are reluctant to approach a public hospital for their health care is the rude behaviour of doctors and nurses. It is mostly the young resident doctors and senior nurses who are rough in their behaviour and language. The Ad Hoc Committee on Health has expressed total dissatisfaction with the attitude of staff at the GMC hospital while dealing with patients and public in general. The Committee feels that the staff who are in direct contact with patients and public should be reoriented in demands of ethics and hospitality services on monthly basis. The Committee also suggested that a scheme of incentives may be instituted for best behaved hospital staff to encourage them to be hospitable towards patients. The effect of the Committee’s report on the government, however, remains to be seen.

Herald October 15 2009 Panaji