The Government must hold awareness camps where laws, policies and their applicability pertaining to mining and other environment-related subjects are introduced to the local people, who can then be effective stakeholders
An active and environmentally-sensitive judicial system yet again proved to be the succour for an embattled environment. A February 2013 Ministry of Environment and Forests’ notification enabled the States to allow lease-holders to conduct mining activities in forest areas provided they procured clearances confirming to the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Protection Act within two years, failing which the mining would have to stop. But on January 27, 2014, the Supreme Court stayed the 2013 MoEF notification, thereby preventing irreversible damage to forests and environment.
How the MoEF could overlook the potential damage the mining companies could inflict on the environment in the course of two years, is difficult to fathom. Be it complaint from the industry over delays in environmental clearances for infrastructure, oil and gas projects, amounting to nearly Rs 10 lakh crore or the fracas involving the former Environment Minister, Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, the MoEF seems to be out of its element in conducting its business in an effective manner. This situation also reflects the inability of the Union Government to ensure meticulous functioning of the MoEF in adherence to its mandate.
In an exceedingly challenging scenario where the pace of development is threatening environment at every stage, the MoEF needs to display a new resolve to ensure that its decisions do not compromise our environment, especially the fragile forests that are under threat from the mining cartels. Mining in mineral- rich regions has had unequivocal implications for the local ecology. For instance, Meghalaya is endowed with coal, and it has resulted in rampant mining, causing large-scale loss of forest cover, obliteration of water sources and air pollution. But perhaps the most unfortunate outcome of mining is the loss of topsoil and eventual degradation of agricultural land. Inspite of this, the mined regions of Meghalaya are yet to see restoration activities. The MoEF should step in and have a robust and time bound rehabilitation packages for areas such as these that have been adversely affected by intensive mining.
Water bodies in the quarrying regions bear the maximum brunt of mining activities. The contamination primarily occurs due to the draining of acidic water from mines in the form of leaching of heavy metals rendering the water unfit for irrigation or drinking. The mine water discharge also renders the soil acidic and rich in inorganic components like various salts and poor in organic content such as carbon-rich humus. The declining quality of soil results in poor crop growth and yield. The MoEF can engage professional agencies that have region expertise and a reputed track record to check potential sources of contamination. In fact, many NGOs are active in the conservation sphere and would be more than willing to join hands with the Government in this regard.
In order to make a difference, the Government, particularly the MoEF, needs to ensure that the mine pits are filled up and water body testing is done at regular intervals in order to pin-point the source of contamination and assess the intensity of the same.
The presence of wetlands has had a compelling effect in controlling and bringing down the acidic content.It is estimated that over 400 wetlands are now in use in the United States for treatment of acid mine drainage. The use of constructed wetlands for treatment of acid mine drainage is a ‘passive’ technology, and provides a potential alternative to the conventional, active methods of chemical treatment. Studies have revealed that wetland communities that received AMD as input showed higher pH and did not contain concentrations of iron, sulfate and trace metals in the output.
Given this level of efficacy, the Government needs to pursue this and construct wetlands to treat acid mine drainage. This can be achieved in collaboration with local NGOs and village panchayats whereby community land is identified and utilised.
An information deficient community is powerless in the fight against nature exploitation. The government should conduct awareness sessions and seminars wherein the laws, policies and their applicability pertaining to mining and other environment related subjects are introduced to the local population who can then participate in nature restoration projects in their region. This will have a firm impact on controlling environmental degradation.
With international institutions such as the World Coal Association making a pitch for futuristic initiatives such as coalmine rehabilitation and reclamation the effort to rein in mining damages is entering a new dimension globally. Here it is of critical importance that India plays an exemplary role and sets benchmarks in reversing the environmental impact of mineral mining.