Baidhan, Singrauli District – A report, ‘Singrauli: The Coal Curse’, was released on September 22 by Greenpeace at a public meeting in Baidhan. The meeting was attended by people from villages affected by the coal mining and thermal power plants, and those villages where mining or industrial projects have been proposed.
The report is an outcome of a Fact Finding Mission organized by Greenpeace in July 2011 (1) and documents the impacts of unbridled coal mining and thermal power plants on the environment and the people of the region. The Fact Finding Mission was undertaken to bear witness to and expose the human suffering and environmental destruction that coal mining has caused in a region that is promoted as the power capital of the country.
Speaking at the release, Priya Pillai from Greenpeace said, “Singrauli has been scarred by environmental and human rights violations. Our report uncovers the dirt and destruction in the power capital of the country. Entire communities are living in the shadow of coal mine overburdens, with coal dust everywhere. They gave up their land for power that doesn’t reach them, and now have no reliable livelihood and their health has been ruined. This cannot be called development. We cannot continue to ignore the impacts of such large scale ravaging of the land and people without addressing their rights and imposing limits on the environmental degradation we are causing.”
The findings of the mission are crucial especially in the context of forest blocks being allotted and given fast track approval for coal mining through the Group of Ministers (GoM). In Singrauli itself, Mahan, Chhatrasal, Amelia and Dongri Tal II forest blocks were earlier categorized as ‘no go’ but have been awaiting approval for coal mining from the GoM. Now with the reports suggesting that the GoM might abandon the ‘No Go’ demarcation, these forests and people’s lands are at risk of being acquired before the demarcation of inviolate forests is done.
Officially, 5,872.18 hectares of forest from the Singrauli region have been diverted for non-forest use since the Forest Conservation Act came into force in 1980.
According to the Divisional Forest Officer of Singrauli, another 3,229 hectares are also proposed for forest diversion. This does not account for several instances of encroachment on forest land that have occurred as a result of existing and proposed industrial operations.
Currently, there is immense pressure from the PMO to hand over the Mahan forests to Essar Power Limited and Hindalco Industries Limited for captive mining. The former Minister of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, had indicated that this forest should not be mined. The total coal reserves of 144 million tonnes in Mahan would be able to supply coal to the proposed power plant by Hindalco and Essar for only about 14 years. (2)
“There are thousands of hectares of dense forests involved, thousands of tribal and other communities on the edge and the entire ecosystem of the region at stake. Yet the government is bent on destroying this rich biodiversity for a few more tonnes of low quality coal. Before any further diversions of forest land, the government should assess coal availability in other areas and alternative energy solutions. The companies should also address the livelihoods of affected communities, impact assessment of human rights, land based compensation and rehabilitation of the landless and forest dependent communities,” added Priya Pillai, Policy Officer, Greenpeace India.
The Fact Finding team visited the villages of Chilika Daad, Dibulganj (near Anpara thermal power plant), Bilwada in Uttar Pradesh part of Singrauli, Moher forest block, Amlori mines, and Nigahi mines in the Singrauli region between 9th and 10th July 2011. The team also met the district administration and representatives from Coal India Limited.
Notes:
1. The fact finding team comprised of:
- Retired Justice Suresh Hosbet – Retired justice of the Mumbai High Court and noted human rights voice.
- Kalpana Kannabiran – Noted human rights lawyer and founder member of Asmita Resource Centre for Women, Secunderabad.
- Praranjoy Guha Thakurta – Veteran journalist who has made noted documentaries on mining.
- R. Sreedhar – Chairperson of Mines, Minerals & People, which is a growing alliance of individuals, institutions and communities who are concerned and affected by mining.
2. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Jairam Ramesh says, “I am not entirely clear why such a good quality forest area should be broken up for such a partial requirement.” The letter also refers to the fact that the Forest Advisory Committee found the quality of forest and the tree cover to be much higher than claimed by the companies and had not granted forest clearance.
Information Snippets from the Report
Singrauli is the ninth highest in the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI) amongst 88 highly polluted industrial blocks in the country; its value of 81.73 clearly indicates that the area is critically polluted. In fact reports by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), National Institute of Hydrology (NIH) and the Pollution Control Research Institute (PCRI) of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL) clearly indicate ground water pollution in the Singrauli region on account of coal mining.
Moreover, according to an unpublished report by Electricité de France, the power plants in Singrauli release about 720 kilograms of mercury every year because of the low quality coal used in the production.
The fact finding team was told in a number of villages and even by high ranking officials in Northern Coalfields Limited (NCL), that given that their visit was during the monsoon season, the air quality was much better. Normally, and especially in summer months, the air quality is very poor. Villagers living in the proximity of ash ponds and mines said that their lives during those months were living hell.
Consequently, the people in Singrauli villages have multiple health problems ranging from respiratory ailments, tuberculosis, skin diseases, polio, joint pains and many instances of sudden drop in energy and ability to carry out normal activities.
The report also highlights how different mining and industrial operations have decimated the village life but none of these operations have taken the responsibility to mitigate the health impacts or provide healthcare and basic facilities. For instance, Chilika Daad village in Shaktinagar of Sonebhadra district in Uttar Pradesh is surrounded by National Coalfield Limited’s (NCL) mine overburden, a railway line carrying coal and National Thermal Power Corporation’s (NTPC) power plant, each playing a part in contaminating water, polluting air and creating noise beyond acceptable parameters.
