In 1994, the Ministry of En- with deposits of iron, manga- vironment issued its Envi- nese and bauxite ores.

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1 Mining The former colonial Portuguese Government handed An historical perspective out over 700 pieces of paper called mining concessions to various individuals to conduct simple, surface-level, manual operations to extract Goa has been cursed whatever ores they could find In 1987, the Indian Parliament In 1994, the Ministry of En- with deposits of iron, manga- (see the map of mining leases passed a special law abolish- vironment issued its Envi- nese and bauxite ores. elsewhere in this book). These ing the mining concessions ronment Impact Assessment concessions were granted of Goa, converting them into (EIA) notification for environ- The economically valuable in perpetuity. Being manual mining leases under the con- ment clearance but resisted deposits of these are exhaust- operations, they were granted trol of India s mineral extrac- implementing it for Goa s ed. Only the low-grade ones without any consideration tion and environment laws. mines. It was only a petition remain. These can be plun- their operations would have Despite this, the provisions of filed by the Goa Founda- dered because of Goa s prox- on the environment. Never the Water Pollution Control tion directly in the Supreme imity to the sea, which makes was it envisaged that mecha- Act (1974), the Air Pollution Court in 2004 that forced the easy export of even such low nised power would be used Control Act (1981), the Forest Ministry to ensure that min- grades possible. The lower on these concessions and that Conservation Act (1980) and ing operations would now be the grade, the larger the quan- mining would go below the the Environment Protection done after preparation of EIA tities of earth that must be water table or require exten- Act (1986) were never imple- studies and plans. mined, hence the greater the sive demolition of forests in mented by any of the authori- environmental impact. Earlier, the Western Ghats or large- ties when the mines came up But did the Supreme Court or- the ratio of mud/overburden scale destruction of produc- for their first permissions after der really make a difference? to ore was 3 : 1, now it is 4 : 1. tive agriculture. the 1987 Act was notified. Read on to find out. 25

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3 Mine, mine, mine! Goa s latest mantra of greed 27

4 The bloody trail of mining begins at the mine pits gouged out of the Goan earth, and follows the ore-laden trucks and barges to the ships at Mormugao port. 28

5 Fuelled by the need to feed the ravenous appetites of the industrial economies of China, Japan and Europe. 29

6 Control of the mining business is in the hands of a few big Goan industrial familes, including the Chowgules, Dempos, Salgaocars, Timblos, Agarwals, Kunda Gharses, etc. Most leases, however, are owned by individuals who contract the mining operations to the larger companies, in violation of the Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act. Mining in Goa is strip or open-cast mining. The first act of the mining agency is to remove the vegetation or the forest that grows on the lease. After the forest is removed (with the approval of the Ministry of Environment and Forests!), the top soil a fertile resource is removed and dumped. What is left behind is soil bereft of organic matter and therefore, life. Then the excavation begins. Goan ore is poor quality: for every tonne of ore, the agency must remove between 3.5 and 4 tonnes of waste material, dumped in huge mountains. These wastes are washed by heavy rains (more than 120 inches annually) into rivers. Here (left) an excavator removes mining waste from a river. (Above) Mining boards in forested areas. 30

7 Iron ore production in Goa has always been 100% exportoriented. The first export of 100 tonnes was in The figure rose to 1 million tonnes by 1954, 10 million tonnes by 1971, and million tonnes in the 1980s. Today, due to the demand from China, the quantity has reached 33 million tonnes! Goa s natural assets are being dismembered for relocation to China! Iron ore export volumes have risen dramatically over the years. 31