Kushawati in mining silt

Kushawati river is flowing with Muddy water which is a sign of large scale catchment area of this river is disturb on account of ongoing mining activities.

Village sources of Cavrem, Maina and Colomba informed that around 10 to 15 mines are in operation in catchment area of Kushawati river which is responsible for increasing the torpidity of the water. Village sources further informed that previously muddy water flows into the Kushawati river only when it rains heavily and it used to get diluted within a day but now even without there being heavy rains the Kushawati river flows with muddy water which continues for days together.

Villagers from Cavrem and Colomba informed that the mining companies pumps large scale muddy water from the mining pits and releases it into the rivulet of Kushawati which results in increasing the torpidity of the water in Kushawati river.

John Fernandes

What mining is doing in Goa’s tribal areas: Police and Public Health

This paper accounts for some indicators of change in tribal habitation villages of Goa with special focus on Colamb in Rivona Panchayat jurisdiction in Sanguem taluka. The paper is a product of joint efforts of Durgadas Gaonkar, Dr. Avadoot Prabhudesai, Advocate John Fernandes, Rama Velip and Sebastian Rodigues on the occasion of visit of Western Ghats Expert panel members to Goa for a meeting on 27^th September 2010.

The revenue village of Colamb in Sanguem has a population of 2594 people as per 2001 census. 1514 of these belong to Scheduled Tribes communities of Gawda and Velips. The village has a total land of 1929 hectares. The village also has 23 mining leases/concessions granted by Portuguese colonial state before 1961 Goa liberation and are yet to be cancelled by free Indian State. These mining leases cover 1510 hectares of village land. People are dependent upon agriculture and forest for their livelihood. The education level of people here is relatively low. This village is a part of catchment area of Selaulim water dam that supplies water to over 50% of Goa. Nearly 5 mines (efforts are on to start several more) are in operation in the village thereby causing tremendous risk to the villagers life and life support systems. Villagers rose in mass revolt in 2007 and since then continued their agitation pushing the issue of mining in the mainstream political consciousness of Goa. Villagers have been booked under various criminal cases chiefly by the Fomento mining company that operates Hiralal Khodidas mining lease. Various villagers have been affected with negative health effects and hostile socio-economic fallouts.

Quepem taluka has a tribal population of 25,396 people while Sanguem taluka has a tribal population of 15,602 people. Most of whom are either wage employed or self-employed in agriculture as per the Survey report on Scheduled Tribes of Goa (Gawda, Kunbi, Velip) published by department of Social welfare in February 2004. Both these talukas are the targets of predatory mining industry and tribal people have their survival at stake. Colomba village falls in Sanguem taluka but shares border with Quepem taluka.

The legal entanglements

The villagers are target of Fomentos corporate strategy of filing criminal cases against anyone who is involved in protests. Although this is evident all over Goa this paper is restricted in its scope only to Colomba. The company has so far filed 69 criminal cases at Quepem Police station. In all these cases charge-sheets are filed and court cases going on before JMFC Sanguem.

In addition to this Fomentos has also filed civil case no. 23/08 before civil judge, Senior Dvision, Quepem by the legal heirs of Hiralal Khodidas mine Uday Gosalia against 80 people from Colomba. This mine is operated by Fomentos. The corporate hold over the Judiciary can be gazed from the fact that Ex-parte order was granted by Quepem Court against the villagers – without hearing the side of the villagers. Gosalia subsequently has filed two contempt petition against Colomba villagers for violating Court injunction.

The list of criminal cases includes as follows:

1. Case Cr. 43/s/2010 against seven people under section 143, 341, 506, r/w 149 IPC for the offence: restraining of trucks into Hiralal Khodidas Mine and further threatening staff and security personnel of the complainant. Complainant is Chandrakant Patil, Mines Manager of Hiralal Khodidas mine. The seven people in this case includes Egypt D’souza, Rama Velip, Motesh Antao, Dumena D’Souza, Tulsidas Velip – whose house has developed cracks due do blasting by Fometos, Babani Amolkar, and Chandrakala Gaonkar. The complaint filed on 28/11/2008.

2. Case Cr. 15/s/2009 before JMFC Sanguem against Tedoz Antao under sections 341, 323, 427, 506 (II) of IPC. The offence: Wrongful restraining of complainant, assault with fist blows, damage to spectacles. The complainant here is Yeswant Salunke, Security officer, Hiralal Khodidas. He filed this complaint on 14/11/2008 and date of offence allegedly committed is 13/11/2008.

3. Case Cr. 71/s/2008 before JMFC, Sanguem against 7 people under sections 143, 147, 447, 341, 606 (II), 427, 504, r/w 149 IPC. The seven people here includes Egypt D’Souza, Telu Dias, Rama Velip, Motesh Antao, Dumiana D’Souza, Shanta Velip, and Xavier Fernandes. The complainant Surya Naik has given his description on police records as ‘agent of Fomento’. The nature of offence: House and car was damaged by the accused on 13/11/2008. So far ten hearings of this case took place and Inspecting Offfcer (I/O) Arvind Nagekar has remained absent in all instances. As a result judicial process has got stuck and people has to repeatedly make trips to the courts in futility. The ten instances when this case came up for hearing includes 1/12/09, 30/12/09, 12/1/10, 15/2/10, 23/3/10, 26/4/10, 6/7/10, 31/7/10, 21/8/10, and 18/9/10.

4. Case Cr. 70/s/2008 before JMFC, Sanguem against 22 people under section 143, 147, 148, 341, 352, 447, 504, 506 (II) r/w 149 IPC. The 22 people includes Egypt D’souza, Rama Velip, Ruzario Antao, Simao Antao, Chandrakant Gaonkar, Tulsidas Velip, Sulaksha Gaonkar, Tedoz Antao, Vithoba Gaonkar, Vincent Dias, Motesh Antao, Manuel Dias, Dumen D’suza, Purso Gaonkar, Telu Dias, Salvador Dias, Rajnikant Velip, Jason Sequira, Sebastiao D’souza, Natividade Fernandes, Shanta Velip and Palmira Dias. The date of offence is 21/1/2008. The nature of offence is Unlawful Assembly, Armed with dandas, trespass into mining premises, wrongfully restraining complainant, abused him and other mine staff and further came to assault and threaten with dire consequences. The complainant here is Atul Bokade, Mines Manager, Hiralal Khodidas Mines.

5. Case Cr. 1/s/2009 against 17 people under section 143, 147, 447, 341, 506 (II), 427, 504 r/w 149 IPC. The 17 people includes Utabai Velip, Surya Gaonkar, Telu Dias, Egypt D’souza, Kalavati Velip, Vincent Dias, Dumena D’souza, Chandrakant Gaonkar, Premdas Velip, Alexo Dias, Agnelo D’souza, Caitan Barreto, Baby Dias, Bhagirathi Velip, Shanta Velip, Gouca Antao, and Kalidas Naik Gaonkar. Date of offence is 30/12/2008. Nature of offence: Unlawful assembly, trespass into mine premises, wrongful restrained mine workers, abused them with filthy words, threatened them with dire consequences. The complainant here is again Atul Bokade, Mines Manager, Hiralal Khodidas Mines.

6. Case cr. 72/s/2008 against 15 people under section 143, 341, r/w 149 IPC. The 15 people includes Arjun Velip, Tulsidas Velip, Rama Velip, Motesh Antao, Egyp D’Souza, Telu Dias, Vincent Dias, Rajanikant Velip, Salvador Fernandes, Kalidas Velip, Arjun Velip, Kalidas Desai, Puso Gaonkar, Franky Antao, and Arjun L. Velip. Date of offence is 8/10/2007. Nature of offence: Formed unlawful assembly, blocked road, stopped the staff of Hiralal Khodidas mine from entering mine premises. The complainant is again Atul Bokade, Mines Manager, Hiralal Khodidas Mines. Only this case has been closed after being discharged by the court.

All the above cited cases reflect increasing tension in the village created due to mining activities. People’s activities are disrupted due to mining-police nexus. This nexus becomes evident when one examines the record the police in pursuing the cases filed by mining companies’ vis-à-vis cases filed by people against mining companies. Police has 100% follow up to charge-sheet level when it is mining companies are complainants. Police has got 0% record of pursuing the case file by people of Colomba against mining company. People of Colamba has filed number of cases and police are yet to file a single charge-sheet. The villagers complaints can be listed below as follows:

1. On 19/11/2007 villagers of Colomba, Kevona filed a complaint before Quepem police station against Rajesh Zambaulekar and Rupesh Zambaulekar – the mining agents of Timblos and Fomento mine. The nature of offence: Egypt D’Souza was obstructed, pelted stones on his vehicle, threatened and physical manhandling while proceeding from Tilamol to Colomba. Police did not take any cognizance.

2. On 13/6/2008 Gawda, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Federation (GAKUVED) filed complaint against manger of Hiralal Khodidas mines for releasing water in Paddy fields. Police took no action.

3. On 19/11/2008 Farmers of Colomba filed complaint against Romaldo Rebello, Bostiao Simoes, Mahadev Devidas, Dinu Devidas, Anton, Arun Naik, Ramnath Velip, Kushali Velip, Dyaneshwar Naik, Suryakant Naik, and Dilip Devidas. Nature of complaint: Manhandling and beating. Complainant is Rama Velip. Police took no action.

4. On 10/11/2008 Rama Velip filed complaint against Hiralal Khodidas Mine at Quepem Police station for destroying Paddy field coconut garden, water bodies, releasing muddy water in Kushawati River. Police took no action.

5. On 26/11/2008 villagers of Colomba filed complaint at Quepem Police station complaining of transportations of iron ore through forest area in violation of High court order. Complaint was signed by Motesh Antao, Fr. Mathias D’Cunha and Rama Velip. Police too no action.

6. On 5/12/2008 United farmers of Colomba filed complaint at Quepem police station regarding illegal operation of mine by Hiralal Khodidas. Complaint signed by Motesh Antao. Police took no action.

7. On 14/1/2010 Dumena D’souza filed complain at Quepem Police station against mines managers of nine mines operating in Quepem and Sanguem talukas for overloading, endangering public health, polluting air, and causing danger to public life. The case was file under section 268, 269, 270, 278 of IPC, section 133 of Cr.PC, Section 40 of Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) 1981 and under section 2(22) and 37 of Goa Public Health Act 1985. The nine mines which are mentioned in this complaint includes: V.S. Dempo T.C. no. 7/50 operation in Rivona, V.S. Dempo T.C. no. 3/51 operating in Curpem, Badruddin Mavany T.c. no. 14/52 operating in Colomba, Vangi Bindi Advona iron ore mine T.c. no. 10/51 operating in Sulcorna and owned by M/s Haidar Kasim Khan, Gogoro Ou Gulcon dongor Iron Ore mine T.c. no. 06/49 operating in Colomba and owned by Hiralal khodidas, Polo Dongor Iron Ore mIne T.C. no. 65/51 operating in curpem owned by G.F. Figueiredo, Gotifonda Tembo Colomab Iron ore mine T.C no. 75/52 owned by Vaicunt Cadnekar, Unonatlo dongor Iron ore mine T.C. no. 17/49 operating in Colomba and owned by Pai Palondikar, and Chunimol Dongor Iron ore mine T.C. no. 28/52 operating at Xivsorem, Rivona. Police took no action.

Police has been biased against people in processing of the cases. Goa government’s police policy towards mining in tribal areas is reflected from this fact. The bias of police in favor of mining industry and against people is clearly visible. The fall out of this situation is indeed very drastic loss of citizens’ confidence in the police force. However since local people are against mining industry for various reasons police force is used by mining industry to protect itself. It is best that in the public interest mining industry be closed down in Goa.

Agriculture suffers

Agriculture was practiced by everyone in the village of Colomba before mining began. Due to rampant mining activities paddy fields of Colomba has suffered drastic reduction of paddy yield. Dument D’Souza who owns a piece of agricultural land that her family cultivates used to harvest 2000 kg of rice before Fomentos started operation of Hiralal Khodidas mine. This has dropped to 900 kg of rice yield after mining company regularly releases mining silt into paddy fields. Coconut plantations too have suffered reduction in yield due to mining activities. The problem of mining to agriculture is also due to release of water from mining pit mixed with lime soda into paddy fields. Additionally the paddy fields nearby suffer due to sodium vapor light in the night focusing into paddy fields.

Response of the mining company managers with regard to discharge of mining silt into the paddy fields is to tell the villagers to remove and company will pay the cost. Villagers however refuse to accept money from mining company.

Agriculture is also threatened due to mining below ground water and drying up of water bodies in Colamba. This is particularly true in case of Badruddin Mavany mine operated by Radha Timblo. Large number of vegetables that used to be cultivated in the Muscavrem, Colomba has found sudden stop after the mining began. Land has been taken over for mining purpose, Kushavati river polluted, and village water bodies such as natural springs and wells dried up. This is fast becoming a reality in number of other areas of Colomba and surrounding villages with number of mining companies beginning their operations.

The situation can be reverted only with closing down mines and cancelling all the mining leases in this and surrounding villages.

Public Health Hazards due to mining

Number of public health hazards has come about due to beginning of mining activities in Colomba and neighboring villages. Dust pollution, noise pollution and heavy vehicular traffic have posed life threatening danger to the villagers. Besides, the entry of large number of migrant workers from various parts of India has caused socio-economic-medical phenomena of spread of HIV infection in mining belt. Alcoholism has increased with increase in mining activities.

Mining of Ferrous and Manganese in these localities has led to the release of impurities in air. The impurities includes silica, magnesium and many more. Inhaling of air polluted with these impurities causes numoconiosis that is also known as ‘dust-in-a-lung’ phenomena. In Colomba the movement of trucks is in the middle of the village. The road used by trucks is also used by school children, women to fetch water, to wash clothes etc. The road that can comfortable take around 50 truck trips per day is burdened with nearly 5000 truck trips filled with ore. Number of people in Colomba and neighboring villages has contacted lung diseases such as tuberculosis after mining activities began here nearly seven years ago. For children below 3 years respiratory problem is acute. 90 percent of people in mining belt suffer from one or other type of respiratory disease. Gattier, Rivona is one locality that has witnessed mass scale contraction of tuberculosis to its residents directly due to mine in the vicinity.

Asthma is another respiratory disease that is very common in mining belt. Besides mining dust lung diseases particularly to children are also caused by accasia trees planted by Forest department. The yellow pollen of these trees causes asthma and skin rash. These trees are danger to nature and must be down and new variety of fruit tree must be planted in their place.

Noise pollution due to movement of trucks leads to permanent disability including total deafness, increase in blood pressure, heart attacks etc.

Communicable diseases like Chicken Gunia, Malaria, Hepatitis and HIV infections have increased in Colomba after mining activities began. The cause can be linked to the increased influx of labour from various parts of India and even Nepal. HIV infection is spread with single men from various parts of India and Nepal taking employment in mines and developing unprotected sexual relationships with local girls.

Accidents due to mining transportation of ore are of three types. First one is caused by direct hitting of person by mining trucks. This happens as each truck is in competition with other to maximize its trips. Pedestrians and other vehicle owners are placed at lethal risk by the movement of trucks. Several accidents are caused this way and many people have died. Only few cases are recorded by police and large of cases are ended by the private force of mining companies by forced compromises or intimidation. A force parallel to police is developing in mining belt that handles besides accident cases, the intimidation of those opposing mining industry. Perhaps these are seeds of mafia in Goa’s mining belt sown by mining industry.

The second variety of mining transport accidents takes place when motorcyclists skid off the road due to spillage of ore on the road from the rooftops of overloaded trucks. In spite roads is filled with spilled ore from truck carrying ore from the mines.

The third variety of accidents takes place when ore from the speeding trucks flies out and hits pedestrians. This has caused injuries to people walking on the road, sometime even to motorcyclists trying to overtake speeding trucks. It is not uncommon to hear of instances when the ore flew out of the truck and hit someone’s head or someone’s eye.

Mining trucks has no controlling authority. Drivers are drunk and drive heavily overloaded trucks. No one checks the license of truck drivers. No one checks truck fitness. Goa Police is mauled by mining industry due to Coporate-Politician-Police nexus in place.

Mining also has drastic indirect effects of Public Health. Number of people taking to alcohol has increased. There is also the rise in liquor outlets in Rivona Panchayat jurisdiction. Few of these are licensed outlets. Large number of them operates without license. More importantly the liquor that is sold in these outlets is adulterated – very often mixed with urea and distilled.

Women in mining belt suffer from anxiety, sleeplessness, and stressful mind due to uncertain situation created by mining industry. Many families are headed by widowed women as their husbands have died due to their employment on mines. Employment on mines gave excess money which they invested in alcohol. This led to the degeneration of their health and ultimately their death. In Curpem and Vichundrem villages large number of men worked on mines and died within few years of their employment. Workers on mines develop renal problem due to exposure to extreme heat and dust. Workers on mines do not get proper water, proper health education, proper masks for nose, proper ear masks. These are given only during mines safely day for one day and then taken back. Doctors with companies are insensitive towards workers. Drivers in mines have no control over themselves when they drive after consuming alcohol. No one checks their physical fitness when they drive in intoxicated state. This behavior of drivers in mining is not an exception but a rule.

Direct effects of mining on water

Silt from mines is released directly into paddy fields of the people. This creates chocking of its traditional water ways and created frequent flooding in monsoon. This is observable in case of Hiralal Khodidas mine in Colomba.

Washing of trucks in fresh water bodies releases silt and other pollutants into water. The water used for irrigation purposes then pollutes land where this water is used. Kushawati river is a very good example as to how mining has created water crisis. Mining in its catchment areas led to drying of kushawati river few years ago. State government instead of shutting down mines constructed check dams at number of places on the river. Check dams created stagnation of water and put pressure of the edges of the river. The big trees on both sides of the river bank died as their roots got affected with blocking of river flow in artificial manner. Besides Kushawati river water is polluted by mining silt. The fish that used to be available for the villagers prior to damming of this river has dramatically reduced and some varieties disappeared all together. The Kushawati river bed has silted and turned shallow.

In Corla village natural springs has gone dry after as the mining led to alteration in the course of ground water. Over 100 tribal people live in this village on hill top.

Blasting in mines

Till few years ago blasting was regular practice in mines in spite of it being legally banned. In Colamb blasting at Hirala khodidas mine by Fomentos has caused cracks to the house of Devki Katu Velip. Workers who indulge in drilling for blasting suffer from blasting renauts phenomena that results in hand gangrene.

Renal Stone for workers working in mining belt is common phenomena. Dust particles accumulated inside the ear consolidate and transform itself into a stone of a respective mineral.

Conclusion

Mining has created all round degeneration of nature and quality of life of tribal people. Even employment on mines has led to number of people in mining belt. Mining is dangerous and its danger will not reduce with 26% of share of income from mines to tribal people as envisaged by government of India. This is only move to distract attention from the gross violation of rights and insult to the dignity of tribal people that cannot be purchased with money. The private ownership of mines gave full scale scope for the usury of the mineral wealth by few individual corporate entities. Mining industry in Goa has hijacked all round welfare and democracy in Goa. Damage to public health, degeneration of agriculture, depletion of ground water, use of police, abuse of judiciary to intimidate village people protesting mining industry are only manifestations of this phenomena. It is hoped that Western Ghats authority will take cognizance of this situation and recommend to the government of India to stop mining in Goa and cancel all the mining leases in the Tribal areas that find common ground in defense of Western Ghats.

‘Miners are arrogant... we are feeling hopeless’

Mining silt is damaging rice fields, water sources are drying up.
Villagers in Sanguem are a worried lot

Joaquim Fernandes | tnn


Sanguem, May 19, 2010: The fertile rice fields spread across 200 hectares in
Collme-Xethod in Collamb village of Sanguem taluka have sustained
generations of farmers. But now farmers say that silt flowing down
from the mines in the hills above are spoiling their fields. Mining is
also drying up the natural springs that once nurtured their fields.

“Zaitem xeth paddan assam. Udok nam tor baath kami, poll chod (Much of
the paddy has been spoilt. If there is no water, the grain is less,
the chaff is more),” says Rama Velip from Collamb-Rivona. Agriculture
is the mainstay for this 45-year-old and his four brothers and their
family of 17.

The Collme-Xethod stretch of fields is located at the foot of Gulkhond
Dongor, where mining is now on. From the base of Gulkhond Dongor, two
springs used to nurture the fields. While the one on the eastern side,
called Gollimoll, has already dried up, the other one on the west,
called Gogro (cascade), is gradually drying up, its torrent now
reduced to a trickle.

Rama insists that over 90% of the people in Collamb depend on
agriculture. “It is the best profession because all year long your get
free food. If not anything, there is at least rice congee to eat. But
the main thing is water. Without water, you can't sow. In the last
seven-eight years, water is reducing,” he says.

A narrow storm water drain separates the house of 60-year-old Pandhari
Mahadev Velip and the fields of Collme-Xethod. “Water used to flow in
this drain even in May because of the abundance of the Gogro spring.
Now this nullah is already dry in March,” says Pandhari.

As if the drying up of the natural springs was not enough, mining silt
has washed into the fields, damaging the crops of many farmers. Motesh
(Mathew) Antao is one of them.

Motesh's is the first field on the northern side of Collme-Xethod and
therefore closest to the mines. A crude wall of boulders now separates
his field from the red mining rejects of Gulkhond Dongor. Motesh's
nearly-one-acre field used to yield him 50 sacks of paddy. With a lot
of chaff this year, he is not sure of the yield. “Sanguem has the
maximum number of springs in Goa. If mining is allowed to destroy
those water sources, agriculture will die and will also kill us
eventually,” says Motesh.

Ironic that although Motesh criticizes mining, he ekes out a living as
a driver on a mining truck. “I don't like this job. Someday I hope to
buy my own taxi,” he says.

Asked why he does not avail of loans that are so easy now, he says
banks will not lend him money as there are seven police cases against
him. These cases had been foisted on him, Rama Velip and many others
by mining companies, he alleges.

Motesh continues, “The police harass us. They arrest us, make us sign
papers and slap cases on us. Then we have to make repeated trips to
courts. Their intention is to harass us into silence and eventually
into submission.”

Milagrina, Motesh's mother says, “The companies create divisions among
the villagers. Now there is lot of enmity among people. Earlier, we
used to collect firewood from the forest and our cattle used to graze
there. Now they don't allow us. We have sold all our cattle, save
two.”

If there are doubts about farmers' claims regarding the blight of
mining in Goa, the state government-appointed monitoring committee's
findings should put that to rest. The monitoring committee, headed by
the chief conservator of forests, has found violations in 54 of the
110 operational mining leases in Goa. Many of the 54 are in Sanguem .

Goa Foundation has obtained details of the violations in each lease
under the Right to Information Act. Said Claude Alvares of Goa
Foundation, “These violations were found only in the leases that the
committee visited. There are many other leases. We will make a
presentation to the ministry of environment and forests. If they don't
act within one month, then we will act.”

Alvares said most were forest violations. But a look at the monitoring
committe's reports showed that each lease had committed on an average
about five violations. These included not obtaining consent under
water act or air act, leases being adjacent to wildlife sanctuaries,
lack of clearances from environment, wildlife or standing committee
and, more importantly, “dumping done outside lease area”.

It is from these dumps that the silt runs into agricultural fields.
Sources in the agriculture department, on condition of anonymity,
admitted mining has affected farming in Sanguem. But they also say
that Sanguem is just beginning to feel the pinch whereas villages like
Cavrem-Pirla in neighbouring Quepem have already been badly hit.

Agriculture department sources said that during the last one year,
there have been about seven public hearings in Sanguem for new mines.
“About 90% of the people opposed the mines. Earlier, people used to
keep quiet for money. Now they want to preserve their land and do
agriculture,” sources said.

Mining and its accompanying ills dominate the Sanguem landscape. In
Shivsorem, 67-year-old Prabhakar Butto Gaonkar grows coconut, cashew,
arecanut, sugarcane and rice in his own fields. But a mining lease has
been issued for the area and the company is offering Gaonkar Rs 10
lakh for the land. The mine has started but the mining dumps have not
reached near Gaonkar's fields yet.

Gaonkar is quoting a steep price for his fields in order to dissuade
the company from buying. The mining company has not agreed yet.
Gaonkar's young daughter-in-law gets sentimental about the land: “The
field is all we have. If we sell the field, where will we go with our
small children?”

The cluster of houses around Gaonkar's house is nestled between two
operational mining leases. The water level in the well opposite
Gaonkar's house is precariously low. The village women nearby are sure
the well will go dry by April.

The women are angry that mining dust has ruined their agriculture.
After much fighting by Shivsorem residents, one mining company paid
the families Rs 10,000 per year as compensation. Another company paid
less.

Says Premavati Gaonkar, “Our sugarcane cultivation suffered because
our well dried up. What can we do with the land if there is no water?
The miners are arrogant and don't listen to anyone. The village
panchayat is not helping us. Last year, we agitated quite a lot. This
year, we are feeling hopeless.”

Times of India, 19 May 2010

Fuel pump for mining trucks threatens agriculture in Colamb

This is picture of trucks at filling of diesel at Fuel filling Pump near the Hiralal Khodidas Mine operated by Fomentos in Colamb, Sanguem. Villager Milagrine Antao complains that this is affecting her paddy cultivation. There are good reasons to believe her.

Sebastian Rodrigues with photo by Anuja

Paddy yield suffer due to mining in Colamb

Couple of days ago I was in Colamb, Sanguem and over there I met Dument D'souza. She has just finished harvest of this season. After questioning she disclosed that paddy yield this year has drastically suffered due to nearby Hiralal Khodidas mine operated by Fomentos. She disclosed that she normally used to reap 20 bags of paddy. This season she has got only 7 bags. That means 13 bags loss.

Mining, particularly in its mechanized version has caused enormous harm by drying up of water sources. Siltation of paddy fields has also reduced the soil fertility. This is a common sense that rulers of Goa as well as mining companies pretend not to understand. By this stand they have positioned themselves as enemies of Goa, its water sources as wells its people in engaged in paddy cultivation like Dument D'souza. They are like that nude King on horse back who thought that he was wearing best dress in the world till young boy told him the naked truth on his face!

Mining industry as well as the rulers of Goa behave as if they are permanently high flying illusion. They fail to understand that by continuing mining just because few companies make huge profits, they are actually doing something nasty - cutting their own legs of sustainability. If they refuse to get hints and get cracking further on mining industry in Goa then it is but certain that the rulers in Goa will have to bite mining dust in not too distant future.

Time for Goa's rulers is running out. It is running out very fast. It is ozzing out of every diesel pump that is set up on the mines in Goa. In fact, to be honest rulers of Goa are very pathetic lot. They are irrational. They have made money at the cost of Mother Earth for the past 60 years and still scheme how to do this further. For deep within they are hallow. They think that their police violence, goon violence, smart diplomacy to divert attention away from mining is going to keep them permanently in Power as ruling elements. Their beliefs are like a balloon bloated with hot air that will go burst with touch of a thorny tiny being. Poor pathetic guys leave in a make believe world and tearing apart beautiful world in the midst of western ghats with chirping birds, wandering panthers, roaring tigers, dancing butterflies, handsome cobras, croaking frogs, variety of fishes and majestic mountains and its people. Someone who can do this level of violence to living being has to be mentally ill. Cause of this illness has to be self-inflicted violence. Someone whose sense of compassion has hit rock bottom and has become addict of violence. All the mining companies and their cronies come into this category.

They have enslaved themselves through machinery and holding people and ecology captive. We need a medicine them them free from machines.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Blasting in Colamb mine

According to the reports received from Milagrine Antao in Colamb Fomento mining company carried on blasting of explosives inside the Hiralal Khodidas mine yesterday April 20, 2010 at around 9.00 am. It may be noted that blasting inside the mine is banned by law.

In order to confuse people of the village about the blast the sound of the machinery is increased in volume and blast carried on when sound pitched at higher level.

In the meanwhile Milagrine Antao complained about the fuel pump installed few meters away from her paddy fields would have disastrous effects on her and other people's agricultural fields nearby. The fuel pump is being used to fill diesel for the mining trucks plying on Fomento mine form 5.30 am in the morning there by disrupting life of the villagers.

Sebastian Rodrigues

Mining inside Selaulim Dam catchment area map

Mining in and around Colamb, Sanguem is all pervasive scandal that is far away in the forest. Rulers in Panjim and Delhi are happy that they are far away from it. Now here is a map that pinpoints the detail vicissitudes of happenings in the catchment area of Goa's major water source that provides water to over 50% of its citizens. Tiger pug marks are cited too along with the mining leases here in western ghats. Have a detailed look at what is happening in Goa's hinterland:


View Colamb mining in a larger map

Mining promotes Poverty in Goa

By Sebastian Rodrigues

Approaching the theme

Natural economies were very common as the penetration of capital was limited. This is in spite of Goa being Portuguese colony till 1961. Geological survey began in Goa in early 20^th century and first mining lease was granted in 1929 by the Colonial Portuguese regime. The actual mining activities began in 1940s and the first consignment of iron ore exported to Japan in 1948 to begin the economic recovery of that war-torn country. It was entirely manual mining then till the decade of 1970s when the mining sector in Goa began to be mechanized. With manual mining it was not possible to dig deep into ground for iron ore, manganese and bauxite and disrupt ground water flow. Mechanized mining made this possible in effectively in 1980s. Mining has never been nationalized in Goa and it remained entirely a private sector even in the rest of the country mining sector was nationalized.

Natural economies prior to entry of mining refer to direct dependence of people for livelihood on nature. The contacts were more direct without any kind of mediation. Their labour was the only mediation. It is labour that was required for the cultivation of paddy and harvest bumper crops. It was labour that was required in order to get their daily quota of fish. It was labour that was required in order to cultivate various types of vegetable in the and available with abundant supply water from natural sources. It was labour that was required for the people in mining belt to carry on their slash and burn agriculture –shifting agriculture - on top of hills. It was labour that was needed in order to collect various kinds of ripe fruits on the variety of trees in the forest. It was labour that was required in order to go in search of edible roots for their staple food. It was labour that was invested into going into the forest and collecting various forest products and then to transform them into various products for daily use such as brooms, mats, medicines etc. The large number of people in Goa’s mining belt are tribals for whom the barter economy – including exchange of labour for labour was a most respected norm in the functioning of their life and economy that was harmoniously integrated with ecology.

Feudal economies that emerged in Goa during Portuguese colonial regime chiefly due to the focus on written record keeping procedures adopted by the colonial state. The people – tribal as well as others for whom written record keeping by the State was alien concept did not understand the state insistence of piece of paper a indication of land ownership. A class of people that helped to sustain the colonial power of Portuguese in Goa were able to understand this and colonial power bestowed the legal ownerships of land titles on these category of people. These people were tiny minority in collusion with Portuguese colonial State at best can be described as the class of people that practiced usury. These class of people came to be known as Landlords in feudal sense.

The mass of people in mining had community sense of land ownerships. Their land control was bestowed in communities. These community land ownership patterns were disrupted by the colonial State and never repaired by post-colonial state in Goa. Few remaining community land ownership institutions were taken over on landlord class and they were given new name called communidades. The people who traditionally enjoyed rights over these lands were excluded from the land titles. This effectively paved way for the legal establishment of control over community lands that later on would be parceled out for mining companies. Section of community land belonged to the community temples. These temples too were brought under legal control of the upper caste landlord class through Mazania law in Post liberation Goa. These set of State driven class controlled legal architecture put firm foundation for the effective legal uprooting of the people from their lands even though in large parts of Goa they continued to enjoy actual possession of the land.

Mining leases granted during the Portuguese colonial regimes fits into this complex legal context of alienating people from their lands. Mining leases numbering around 791 and covering over 67,700 hectares of land in 10 out of total 11 talukas of Goa. Indian government did not embark upon any radical overturn of the Colonial architecture prevalent in the State of Goa. In fact it re-enforced it through various laws in post Liberation Goa; one of the chief ways being, it legally legitimized the mining leases.

Process of impoverishment thus has been triggered off with the above legal manipulations. Legally thus the entire people of Goa except the landlord class remained under constant uncertainty, not knowing as to when the actual disenfranchisement of actual possession would take place. Legal the law is now against the people in mining belt. Mining leases enjoyed supra power and legitimacy especially from the State agencies such as the Police, Executive, governments and Judiciary. Legal alienation cleared the path for greater and horror field alienation – ecological alienation. Goa State from its very inception in 1961 remained under firm control of the mining companies. Its first two chief ministers were mine owners themselves for two decades.

When the mining begins

Mining is one type of activity wherein the end of entire decentralization in governance becomes imperative. The nature of mining is militaristic. It does not tolerate any dissent. It needs all pervasive power over land, minerals under the land, and power of public opinion. It needs to find its ways to aggressively extract the minerals and ship it out towards Japan, China, Europe, US and other countries too. Social engineering is embarked upon in very powerful manner through iron control over the State, media, intellectuals and public organizations. Dissent is put down with powerful impetus. The benefit it derives from these de-humanizing tendencies are that it is able to service the demands in the Global Political Economy for minerals. Locally it is able to create handful of economic elites and strengthen them further through economies of scale. This is a most certain way towards creating inequality and repressive disharmony leading towards poverty of mass of the people at the source destination of the mineral extraction. In fact this has been the exact way as to how things have unfolded in Goa.

Protests against the starting of mining have been put down with Police force. Sometimes it has been done through lure of money and alcohol. The farmers are lured into the benefits of accepting compensation for the loss of their land. If they do not agree then they are implicated in some false criminal cases are forced on to compromise table. Whichever is the way of ‘sorting’ out the protestors the outcome is common the person, families, and communities are violently forced to cut their links with soil and land.

They cease to be cultivators. Poverty downs on to their lives and consequences are unpredictable. There are number of villages wherein this has been the reality in Goa. Pissurlem village in North Goa’s Sattari taluka is a classic village to study the mining aggression and poverty of people. This village has been most flourishing village in agriculture. It was blessed with abundant greenery, forest cover, natural water springs, paddy fields and of course the hard working people. The village has been topmost producers of paddy in the entire taluka of Sattari. All this changed dramatically. Not only coming of miming has forced the people of mining to stop paddy cultivation, it has also displaced the village twice and third displacement in Dhatwada region is on cards. There are nearly seven mines functioning in the area of various mining companies such as Sesa Goa – owned by British Corporate Vedanta, Fomentos, Salgaocar, Chowgules etc. The mountains have been razed down totally. These were once dense western ghats forest areas. The silt from the mining areas has washed away into the paddy fields and rendered the redundant. Protests of villagers to remove the mining silt have been put off totally both by the mining companies as well by the State. The natural springs that were supplying water to the paddy fields have dried up as the mining pits have gone deep underground and ground water remained terribly disrupted. This has deprived the villagers of steady supply of food for their living. It has also deprived them of steady supply of water to take bath, cooking and drinking. The village is entirely dependent upon the mining companies to meet their daily needs for water. Mining companies has commissioned tankers to supply daily water into the plastic water tanks placed outside the houses of the people. There is direct deprivation of cultivation of paddy thereby creating situation of food security. There is also creation of dependence on mining companies for water. So far only air in the village is not supplied by mining companies. But here too, lager number of lung diseases reported at the local government health centre at Valpoi such as Tuberculosis are from Pissurlem. The co-relation is not difficult to arrive at. Polluted air with dust particles from mining activity including transportation of ore in trucks causes air pollution.

But can one take this as indicators of poverty? Poverty is relative concept. If one has to judge it from the point of view of access to water and land then it is poverty for sure. But hold on. Here is description of my last visit to Pissurlem few months ago. One striking feature is a visible presence of cars in front of number of houses in Pissurlem. Another feature is prevalence of mining trucks in front of houses. Investigations reveal that large number of people in Pissurlem have opted to buy trucks and get into mining transportation trade due to close down of agriculture option. Some families have earned money to buy cars afford a life in comfort. How one does judges this? Mining companies are also supplying with monthly doles to families in Pissurlem as a trade off for silence of the Villagers. So people have got into the habit of accepting the monthly doles and become insensitive to the collective ruin of the habitat and life support systems. New mining leases in the meanwhile continue to get activated. Few years ago this village has suffered massive floods due to mining activities. Mining silt that got deposited in inside the people’s houses was over one meter thick.

The village of Sirgao in Bicholim stands out in this context. The number of people in the village that are challenging the three operating mines in their village – Dempos that is taken over by British corporate Vedanta, Chowgules, and Bandekars. They filed public interest litigation in Goa bench of Bombay High Court in June 2008. The court directed Nagpur based National Environment Engineering Institute (NEERI) to conduct scientific study. NEERI submitted its study in March 2009 confirming that mining activity has caused depletion of ground water in the village causing drying up of village wells and springs. It also confirmed that large amount of deposition of mining silt has taken place in the agricultural fields of the village and paddy cultivation has not been possible. NEERI submitted the plan to rejuvenate the water sources and remove mining silt from paddy fields at the cost of approximately 1.8 lakhs per hectare. The total amount that mining companies would have to pay to NEERI to restore Sirgao’s agriculture and recharge groundwater is Rs. 660.25 lakhs. What is the story of Sirgao that is proved scientifically is the story of every village under mining in Goa. Water and Food security of Goa is deeply threatened.

Colamb is another village in South Goa’s Sanguem taluka that is currently battling mining industry. The number of mining leases are 23 that are covering large area of Colamb village. The village has total areas of 1929 hectares and mining leases covers 1510 hectares of land. The mining leases cover places of habitat, forest, natural water bodies, paddy fields and everything else on the surface of the village. Already in the past 10 years couple of mines that are operating in the village has destroyed considerable amount of agriculture. Alcoholism has increased many folds in the mining belt with increased problems of alienation amongst both the locals as well as migrants. Destruction of agriculture and forest and everything else becomes a priority for the mining companies to carry on advancing into the newer territories. Large variety of vegetables that people – mostly tribals cultivated has vanished as the cultivation spaces has been occupied by mining companies. The local river named Kushavati – tributori of Zuari river - began to dry three years ago in the month of May. This year State government has constructed check dams on Kushavati river. But this is not the solution. Stagnant water do not support any fish that used to be available in the river for the local people to eat. Now there is no fish. The huge trees on the banks of Kushavati rivers are affected with stagnant water and as a result trees – according to local people’s wisdom – are dying. So it is double problem of mining as well as the problem of river being artificially flooded. Both of these are dangerous downslides as far as standard of people in the locality are concerned.

The above are only few glimpses of the deeply deteriorating situation due to mining industry in Goa. Only handful of people are financially benefiting from the trade. The people in the Goa’s mining belt are directly affected negatively. The industry is making people poorer by the day. Financially due to trucks banks are benefiting, while the people are loosing their land, water, agriculture, rivers and forest. They are loosing this forever. Goa is loosing this forever. Mining actively causes poverty in Goa. Its consequences are going to be unpredictable and severe for the entire society.

Mining in Goa: testimonies

Dinanath Gaonkar, Sirgao

Mining has been going on in our village for over 45 years. When I was young all these mining pits today were dense forest. In the forest we used to go around and pick our wild fruits, medicines and even we had our play ground on a small patch. All this has changed now. Mining companies – three of them has come about in our village of Sirgao and carried on mining excavation work. This has resulted in large scale changes of our village. Few people got employment into the mines. And large number of villagers was involved in cultivation of agriculture. The changes that unfolded over the period of time has shocked us and pushed the entire village into the state of ecological refugees. Our forest is completely disappeared – chopped down by mining companies. Our play ground id not traceable at all. In their place there are huge mining pits.

The mining in the mountains has led to the washing of Ore into the low lying paddy fields and over the last few years our agriculture has come to the grinding halt. Our paddy fields has lost fertility and are silted with run offs from the mining companies. What are we to eat? Where are we to cultivate? How are we to live?

Presently we live like worms in our village. Not only our paddy fields are silted but also our village springs and wells have gone dry because of mining. The ore extraction inside the pits has gone so low that the mining companies are continuously involved in pumping out of ground water with high powered water pumps. The underground flow has changed its course towards the mining pits. This has left all the village springs and wells dry.

Some people in the village has benefited as they operate mining trucks. But the long term interest of our village is terribly compromised and gradually it is becoming unbearable to stay in the village. Our ancestors came and settled here chiefly because there was plenty of water available here. But all that has changed now. Water in the village is becoming scarce day by day. Our village has changed from once prosperous towards poverty due to open cast iron ore mining.

Our future generations can no longer hope to live in this village if the mining goes on the way it going currently. When our villagers objected for the transportation of Ore from the land legally owned by us police came and arrested my fellow villagers. How are we to survive this onslaught? Our demand it to create Sirgao village free from mining.

Motesh Antao, Colomba

I am from Colomba village in Sanguem taluka. My family directly affected due to open cast iron mining activities carried on at the neighboring mine. Our agriculture is getting ruined as the siltation and water shortages have resulted in reduced production of rice. This is a case with many farmers in Colomba. Our traditional water ways has been chocked with silt that got washed with rains and got accumulated inside the water ways. This has also affected our daily schedules of life in Peace and harmony.

Mining is being carried on inside forest areas. We are involved in protesting against the mining industry in our village because it is deriving towards poverty. I as well as my fellow villagers are facing constant threats from the mining companies as well from the State Police force. I have been arrested due to my protests against mining nearly 8 times during past two years. My brothers as well as my parents too have been arrested and number of criminal cases are filed. Now I have to make regular trips to the Court of law in Quepem and Sanguem.

Police officers on two occasions beat me up at the Police station after calling me to the police station to collect information that I had asked under Right to Information Act involving details of assets of Police officers and their involvement in mining transportation.

There are all together 23 mining leases in my village of Colomba. Out of which four are in operation currently. Another 4 are going for Public hearing next month in March 2010. Our entire village is full greenery in the form of Forest and Paddy fields. The places where mines have started however are no longer green. The extraction of ore has changed colour. Health of our villagers is deteriorating. Mining has generated tensions and few people are getting affected with hearth attacks that were unheard of till few years ago.

Our roads have become very dangerous to walk and drive on. There are large number of truck carrying mining ore ply regularly creating dangerous situation of the roads. Accidents are regular phenomena and every now and then there are victims of accidents and some even deaths.

How do I make my living in this situation? How does my fellow villagers to make living when mining is doing away with our soil, our paddy fields, our water sources, our forest and our dignity? How are we to survive? I feel we can live peacefully and prosperously in the village only when mining is stopped completely.

Sharmila Naik, Advalpal

My village of Advalpal is depended upon agriculture. It is also the village with forest and hills. It is located in Bicholim taluka. In our village there used to be mining in manual form nearly 40 years ago. The there was accident on the mine and few people had died. Then mines were stopped. However four years ago mines started again. This time it was mechanized mining. Few companies came to our village, offered money to the villagers and mines got started. However after one year we realized how dangerous this mining was we started opposing the mines. The mines has created very dangerous situation for my village of Advalpal. Mines disrupted traditional water flow in the village and our crop got flooded at the time of harvest. The mine buried existing water lakes with mining silt. Further mining even dug our crematorium space where our village used to cremate the dead of our village.

Now the situation is bad as the traditional water bodies are dried up due to mining. Natural springs of our village used to supply water to drink for our villagers. Women folks also used gather together for the washing of clothes at the springs. All this is now gone with drying up of springs.

In June last year due to mining our village got flooded. Mining silt was deposited into the houses of the people. It was very traumatic moment for my family and villagers. Few houses got badly hit by the floods.

Mining has also destroyed cashew crops and there are very few spaces left for us to carry on with our cashew cultivation. We used to get bumper crops every year but for the past few years not only the yield has deteriorated but also the places where cashew trees existed has been used for mining purposes. The large lake space that was used for the purpose of bathing of cattle has been buried deliberately by the mining company. Our cattle has no place to take bath now and mining has led to disruption of agriculture of our village.

The lease boundary of the mining company extends to the middle of the village main road. There are three mining leases that are in operation here. One mining lease is currently stopped due to High Court order to remove the silt that mining company has deposited in the village. Mining company has not adhered to the High Court Order so far for the past 4 months.

Now my family is forced to move out of Advalpal as there are no sources of living left in the village. Number of other families too facing similar situations. Where are we to look for our survival in the context of mining?

In May 2008 there was a major revolt in our village against mining. We marched on the mine site and stopped the work by force. Then we got together and protested outside the office of Deputy Collector, Bicholim for one week. Number of police cases are filed against us. Nearly 70 people have to attend the court hearings regularly at Bicholim Court. Mining companies got police protection and carried on their operations.

Few people of our village who own trucks benefit from the mining industry. The rest of us get no benefit at all. In fact our village is losing terribly and I feel mining has to stop once and for all.

Goa mining story that remained untold so far

I have been to Goa twice to do a story on mining. The first time i was 'held captive' on a Fomento mine. Fomento, of course, gave a public statement that i was 'trespassing' on Fomento property, and other baseless allegations.

There was no board which announced that the said property was 'private property' or 'tresspassers not allowed', there was no security personnel, so we-i was accompanied by Mr Rajendra Kerkar and my driver- entered what I was later informed, was Fomento premises. I must have gone in about 50 metres of what appeared to be-and later confirmed-to be a mining dump, I took about three pictures, when a security guard came and started getting abusive, he demanded my camera, and asked us to "get out." I calmly agreed--but with my camera. By which time, three other security gaurds had joined us-and demanded my camera. Their language was rough, and abusive. I not allowed to leave, our exit was physically blocked. By then, about 20 more and they got abusive, using language best not repeated in polite company.
They tried to snatch the car keys, even though we were standing quietly, making no attempts to leave. I requested them not to snatch the keys, but they persisted. And at this point , I decided to call the police-there is no irony in this, as the 'honourable' chairman of the company points out.

however, my story was not carried by the press--and here it is:

prerna singh bindra

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It’s the Other Goa. The one you don’t know. Don’t want to know. Just a small step--and a long effort--away from sun-kissed beaches, flea markets, rave parties.
The land is scarred, the earth, ravaged; and the mountains—gouged and flattened ooze tears of blood, the mining waste pouring down the streams, till they are nothing but sludgy, silted drains.

Goa’s vast deposits of iron ore are playing havoc with it’s environment. First, let’s get a perspective of the mining industry. Goa has four per cent of India’s reserves producing more than 15 per cent of total iron ore. It is demand from China, and, Japan that is driving the mineral industry. According to the Goa Mineral Ore Exporters Association in 2008-2009, this tiny state contributed about 43 per cent of the total exports valued at about 38 million tonnes.

Take a look at Goa’s map, run a cursory glance along its 105 km lengh-95 km of this constitutes the mining belt. All of it on the plateaus of the Western Ghats—classified as a top biodiversity hotspot—from where more 42 rivers and tributaries’ flow, feeding the plains below. All of it doomed—if the rape of the mountains continues. Currently, about eight per cent of Goa is under mining. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, if all the mining lease applications are granted, which most probably they will be, more than one-fourth of the state would go under mining –a recipe for ecological disaster.

Mining has devastated Goa’s lifelines—fields, forests, air, ground water. The open cast mining practised in Goa is considered environmentally most damaging, ripping out the top soil to get to the ore seams. It generates huge amounts of wastes—to the tune of 25-30 million tons of mining rejects annually—most of which percolates down to the waterways. Mandovi is estimated to carry 2,00,000 metric tonnes of sediment every year. That’s the fate of almost all of Goa’s water sources—Khushawati, Kalay, Advoi, Bicholim. Visit the state in the monsoon—the blue waters of Goa’s rivers run a bloody red. This has destroyed the fish, all aquatic life, the National Institute of Oceanography in 1985 predicted a total extinction of estuarine life in the near future, unless the inflow of mining rejects was halted.

Groundwater is dipping fast—about ten tonnes of water is pumped out for every ton of iron ore. More than 10,000 trucks race to and fro in the mining areas to jetties connected by barges with Goa’s main port, Marmugao, spilling and spreading dust.

You can see the future of Goa in Pissurlem in Bicholim—one of the worst affected talukas. Red is the new green here-hills of waste stand instead of verdant mountains; trees, shrubs, grass don a coat of thick red. The residents have been relocated twice due to the mines, and are preparing themselves for yet another upheaval. In the land of the free, they have no choice. Mines are closing in on the village. Their 75-odd wells have dried up and the ground water has been ruined by mines. They are now dependent on tankers. They are breathing in mining dust, eating food laced with ore. Most children suffer from chronic diarrhoea, and respiratory diseases are on the rise. The land is chocked with silt. “Once,” says villager Ashok Chari, “our paddy fetched the highest price in the market. Now, we have lost both their Rabi and kharif crop. Our land is barren. A village elder confides that “our boys are finding it difficult to marry, People from non-mining villages are not responding to our marriage proposals.” In the southern tip of Goa, Devki Katu Veli in Colomb shows us the deep cracks in her house, caused by the constant blasting. She knows she invites wrath for going public, she has warned to “keep her mouth shut.” But she wonders, “what worse can they do?” Another resident mourns his home, which will be destroyed if the lease were to come through. As will the private forest that runs riot in his land. Go, see the village, while it stands, before it reduces to rubble. “1510 of the total 1929 hectares of land has been marked for mining,” informs Rama Valip, a farmer who has been battling against the mines, part of larger movement—a desperate fight for their home. A way of life. The easy-going, peace-loving Goan has taken to the streets to take on the powerful mining lobby.

Mining has completely desecrated Goa’s forests too. At least 18 per cent of Goa’s forests have been lost to mining, according to a report by the Delhi-based Energy and Resources Institute. Mines are closing in on Mollem and Nethravali wildlife sanctuaries.

Environmentalist Claude Alvares says that the mining holocaust of Goa can be largely blamed on the indiscriminate handing out of environment clearances by the MoEF.” Goa’s forest minister, Alexio Sequeira pretty much accuses the MoEF of the same in a letter written to the Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh dated August 8, 2009. “In spite of local, ecological, socio-economic and cultural objections, which are well-recorded during the Environmental Public Hearing, the Expert Appraisal Committee of the MoEF has chosen to grant clearances. The people say that Environment Impact Assessments are erroneous, misrepresenting information.” He also points out that there has been no monitoring of ambient air quality or ground water. The letter says that “except for two cases, all mines got the green signal by the MoEF.” Sequeira also points out that there is no combined EIA study—even though most mining leases are in clusters, clearances are given in an isolated, arbid manner.

Clearances were granted within one to three km of wildlife sanctuaries, to mines spilling into the river Khushavati. To a mine that will gouge out prehistoric rock paintings, a heritage site in Colomb. In Rivona, every single person at the Public Hearing objected to the mine, this was duly recorded—and then passed over. Ditto for the mines on the bank of the river at Bicholim-and so many others..

But then, can the state be trusted with the policing? Not when it allowed mining to continue in the heart of a sanctuary (Netravali), despite a Supreme Court Order. Not when it passed a motion in the cabinet to denotify 75 per cent of Madei and Netravali sanctuaries—ostensibly for ‘people rights’, but largely due to the pressure of the mining lobby, given that there are 62 dormant leases inside Netravali.

Illegal mines operate with impunity. According to the opposition BJP leader Manohar Parrikar has alleged that 18 per cent of the ore exported, worth about Rs.700 crore, is illegally mined. The Economic survey cites that more than 2.5 lakh hectares of government land has been taken over by illegal mining.

A recent state government report itself states that 35 of the 48 mining companies inspected have been operating illegally, but no action has been taken, since allegedly, the illicit activity has the backing of powerful politicians.

Speaking to Tehelka, the Chief Minister Digambar Kamat says that he is aware of the situation “and has appointed a committee to look into the issue of illegal mines.” His explanation to the devastation caused by the mines is the Draft Mineral Policy—a panacea for all ills if he is to be believed. Environmentalists, however, assert it will do more harm than good given that it serves the interest of the mining lobby, ignoring site-specific impacts on ecology, communities. Besides, it has no sharp guidelines about supervision, controls and monitoring and rehabilitation of exhausted mines are not dealt with.

Says Alvares, “Mining in Goa is an imbalanced and unjust model of economic activity in which the rewards are only for a select few, while the social and environmental costs are debited to society at large.”

Given the immense environmental and social costs, the economic benefits to the state border on the ridiculous-the industry contributes no more than one per cent to its avenue. Worse, mine owners themselves predict that ore reserves will be exhausted in 10 to 20 years. They will go then, the mines with the riches they have accrued leaving behind devastation-a scarred, ravaged, arid landscape, its people, paupered, it’s glorious past mere history.

Once was Goa.

Digambar Kamat, Chief Minister, Minister of Mines:

Mining has devastated Goa’s environment-ground water is getting depleted, mining wastes is silting the rivers and contaminating the soil. Agricultural production has crashed in mining areas. People are suffering from respiratory diseases. What do you have to say?

All that’s the past. Our government has drafted a Mineral Policy, which we threw open to the public for suggestion. We have received a lot of suggestions, and concerns have been raised, some on the issues you mention. We will now take these into consideration, and formulate a revised policy for mining in the state. It will also be in sync with the National Mining Policy.

But isn’t the policy biased, given that the committee had no representatives of local communities and environmentalists. For example, it advocates mining close to the states

I told you, we invited suggestions from everybody. Goa is a very small state, so we have to be rational about this—it has to be different for each sanctuary. For example, there is a bird sanctuary close to Panjim, the secretariat is about five km from there. So would you say, you can’t have that because it is close to the sanctuary?

So you are saying that mining may be allowed close to wildlife sanctuaries—you did give a statement in parliament saying that “there would be no mining in Western Ghats.”

No, no I am not saying that..we will take that aspect into consideration, and rationally decide the distance from sanctuaries.

Are you aware that in some cases almost entire villages go under mining—Colomb, Maina, in South Goa, some villages have as many as 23 leases. And you are aware people are opposing it.

No, no we won’t allow that to happen

Cheryl D’ Souza had to wait months to get permission to cut 16 trees (“there was no option, and we planted hundreds more) in her farm in Maina. There are different laws, or rather, no laws, for the miners. “Overnight,” she fumes, “ the mining companies raze forests and flatten mountains—and that’s fine?” Cheryl and her husband bought the farm, “after slogging and saving for years-because we were those foolish people who wanted to go back to the land. He loved it, Tony did and we struggled to make this place sustainable,” says she. Tony died in an accident three-years-back, and today Cheryl faces an unexpected, and vicious battle. She shows the farm—mango orchard, gurgling stream, and huge depressions on the sand--gaur, India’s rare wild oxen, classified as endangered under Indian law. All carry a sell-by date, most of Maina will be swallowed by the mines if the leases were to come through: the verdant hills around will be demolished, the stream reduced a turgid pool, the trees will choked by the dust. “And the gaurs—and the leopards,” she despairs, “where will they go?” The miners want her farm—and are willing to pay astronomical amounts. She refused. “What will I do with it? Go for cruises? How many cruises?” So they threatened her, “telling her to be sensible and do what is good for her and her eight-year-old daughter.” She, and her 83-year-old mother were roughed up by the police, and dragged to jail, when they protested by chaining themselves on the road to draw attention to illegal mining going on in her backyard. But the fight is not limited to her boundaries. It is a fight for water, for Goa, for her children. “This is not a sentimental fight for my home. It’s survival. We have to stand up, there is no choice. If we don’t, Goa is finished.”