The expansion of mining and extractive industries has widely altered land use pattern, while at the same time caused large-scale soil and environmental pollution in the Angul-Dhenkanal region. The areas under forest cover and agricultural land have decreased from 38 per cent to 25 per cent in Angul, while in Dhenkanal they have decreased from 42 per cent to 28 per cent over the last 20 years. Mining areas have increased from 0.05 per cent to 1.90 per cent. The areas under settlements/industries and barren land increased from 7 per cent to 15 per cent and 4 per cent to 25 per cent. While mining and industrial activities became detrimental to the land use pattern, no efforts have been taken to regulate them.
The rate and intensity of land use pattern change are very high in Angul-Dhenkanal area because of unplanned industrialisation and related human activities. Mining of coal, both surface and subsurface, has caused enormous damage to the flora, fauna, hydrological relations and soil biological properties of the systems. Destruction of forests during mining operation is invariably accompanied by an extensive damage and loss to the system. The overburden of coal mines when dumped in un-mined areas creates mine spoils which ultimately affects the surrounding vegetation. Mining operations, which involve minerals extraction from the earth’s crust, tends to make a notable impact on the environment, landscape and biological communities of the earth. Unscientific mining of minerals poses a serious threat to the environment, resulting in reduction of forest cover, erosion of soil at a greater scale, pollution of air, water and land and reduction in biodiversity. Due to mining, various allied industries have developed around the area with pro rata increase in demands for lands.
The Mahanadi Coalfields limited (MCl) is operating its both surface and underground mines in the Talcher-Angul belt. As a result of this, the original lush green landscape has been converted to mine spoils. The process of human induced landscape transformation in the coal mine belt and its allied industries has affected areas of the Angul-Dhenkanal region to a great extent. Mining and industrialisation in the Angul-Dhenkanal region have been more than doubled in last 20 years. Maximum reduction has been found in forest area (192.83 sq. km) and agricultural land (237.92 sq km) and maximum increase in barren land (275.1 sq km) in 20 years.
Water bodies have not been spared either. They were affected by mining activities due to depletion of ground water level in and around the mining area. Huge amount of water used in mining and industrial purposes is responsible for the depletion of water level. Dense forests, including rich Sal forests, have been destroyed for mining and industrial purposes. Mining-related industries increased in the region at the cost of agricultural land. lack of irrigation facilities is also a major constraint in the development of agriculture in many parts of the area. lift irrigation from bore wells is a failure in mining areas due to depletion of ground water level.
Rainy Rose, an environmental manager, who has closely studied and analysed the impact of unplanned mining and industrialisation in the Angul-Dhenkanal area called upon the people to defend their ancestral rights over land and save the environment. “The plundering of the living planet in the pursuit of profit and eternal economic growth has proved a disaster for the public,” said Rose.