Case Studies from two selected mining communities of Goa (Real people, Real human angle issues)

Case Studies from two selected mining communities of Goa (Real people, Real human angle issues)

(Multiple excerpts taken from the book titled 'Human Rights Violations by Transnational Corporations in Goa & Chhattisgarh'. For the full contents of the book, kindly visit their website:

Source : http://www.hrln.org/hrln/reproductive-rights/laws-in-place/936.html

CASE STUDIES

The following are first-hand accounts of the problems faced by some of the unfortunate sufferers living in two selected mining communities of Goa:

CASE 1

Milagres Antao,  Collomb, Sanguem

Mrs. Antao is a resident of village Collomb where there are three iron ore mines. She complained the water shortage problems her family was experiencing. The natural water spring at the village, which was previously perennial, has now dried up. A nearby well which is shared by a few households is now less than half a metre deep whereas earlier (November 2008) its water level had a depth of one metre. Mrs. Antao also complained that the water which they now take from a nearby lake is dirty. When they use this water for showering they receive scratches on their skin.

CASE 2

Rajnikant Velip Collomb, Sanguem

Mr. Velip is also a resident of Collomb. He is a farmer of rice paddy and has two family homes near a Fomento Mine. He complained that blasting in the mine began in December 2006 and it produced large cracks in one of these houses which is kuchcha. When he approached the mine manager to complain about this, Mr. Velip was given assurances of compensation, however, no compensation was given. He was later forced to take the matter to court and the case is still pending. Meanwhile, Mr. Velip states that the mining company has in retaliation, brought a case contending that the land on which their other house stands falls under their mining lease area. Though he adamantly states that it does not. He says those running the mining company became angry when he approached the court. He also said the mine manager told Mr. Velip they would pay compensation only if he kept good friendship with them. However, Mr. Velip would not be satisfi ed with compensation. He wants the mine closed down. He complains that the nearby fields where his rice paddy is growing, along with that of other farmers, are drying up. Compensation is no good as the money will at some point run out. What he needs is livelihood, for himself and for his children in the future, just as his parents had had in the past. The water level of their household well has also fallen significantly. It is expected to dry up soon. The mining company has however, intimated that they would supply water in tankers but Mr. Velip does not see this as a viable option. The tankers cannot reach that far as road access would be inadequate and naturally he does not want to be dependent on supply by the company tankers. He does not know how much reliable they would actually be. "Sometimes

their tankers come, sometimes won’t."

CASE 3

Phandari Velip, Collomb, Sanguem

Mr. Phandari Velip also is a resident of Collomb and a farmer of rice paddy. His fi elds lie along with 80 or so other farmers at the foot of the same Fomento mine. He stated the water that naturally fl owed into their irrigated fields is expected to last only another one to two weeks. At the time of visit they had irrigated fields with the water collected from a nearby spring, but the water level there is down. It is expected that this sprint too will run out by next year and then will follow a big water problem. Furthermore, their collective agricultural land

is subject to the Fomento mining lease as well. The mining company had previously planned to store overburden on the side of the mountain close to their fields. However, owing to

the protests by farmers, overburden storage was shifted to the other side of the mountain. But Mr. Velip laments that the mining company has already obtained permission to use

these agricultural fi elds for their storage purposes and it is only a matter of time before the company acts. When it does, cultivations of all 80 farmers will be subsumed. Mr. Velip laments that there has recently been a decrease in the yield from the lands and the mining company who has been informed of this problem offered a meagre compensation of Rs 1 per square metre of crops, per season. Twenty or so farmers have already submitted to this offer.

CASE 4

Uday Parap Gaonkar wada, Mulgao, Bicholim

Mr. Parap is a newspaper reporter by profession. In speaking of his village with one iron ore mine, he says the main employment in the area is in mining and the main problem in the area is unemployment. People have almost completely stopped agricultural operations, he says, because siltation from mining has rendered the land barren. Though there is no water shortage yet where he lives, it is expected very soon. Lack of education is also a problem in the area and literacy is low. Mr. Parap also said the incidence of tuberculosis is in the area is high. Although no one admits to being affected because of the stigma associated with having the disease, people are informed when visiting their family doctor that the ailment exists. Mr. Parap said his doctor informed him about 5-10 percent of the inhabitants suffer from tuberculosis in the area.

CASE 5

Shyambha Reaghlo Gawade Dhohlka wada, Pissurlem

Mr. Shyambha Gawade, aged 102 years, is the oldest man in his locality. He tells how he used to be a farmer of rice paddy. His farms now lie idle, as siltation and lack of water have put a stop to cultivation. He recalls how a fl ood in 2000 resulted in heavy siltation in his paddy fi eld. Mining activity has been in the area for the past 50 years and for the past ten years there has been no agriculture, the period has seen an increase in pollution he says, because of the increased use of machinery. Unemployment has also increased due to an increasing reliance by miners’ on machinery, instead of manpower. In the same household Mrs. Sumita Ajod Gawade, mother of two, speaks of her five-year old daughter who she constantly suffers from cough, cold and from sinus problems. This ailment is suffered

in almost every household in the village.

CASE 6

Santosh Pandurang Gawade Dhohlka wada, Pissurlem

Mr. Santosh Gawade works for daily wages. Just 50-100 metres from where he and his family live, there stand two overburden dumps, one on either side. Members of his household suffer from persistent cough and cold. Standard of living and health of the area have been adversely affected due to mining. In the nearby Devul Wada, on demand by the people, mining companies have started keeping a doctor at the local dispensary twice a day for check-ups, but not here. As groundwater has run dry in the area owing to the mining, it is supplied to the local inhabitants by mining companies in tankers and Mr. Gawade expresses his concern over the safety of this water for purpose of consumption, as he says it is the same water that they pump out when it collects in the mining pits at crossing below the water table. This water, which is supplied without being purified, may contain heavy metals and chemicals which are unsafe for consumption. Mr. Gawade says many complaints on various related matters are made to the Panchayat, but they do not take any action.

CASE 7

Yeshodi Yashwant Gawade Dhohlka wada, Pissurlem

Mrs. Yeshodi Gawade also suffers from constant cough, cold and tremors. Her son, a mining truck driver also suffers from frequent coughs and colds. She tells how she wrote to the Mamladar four times about siltation in her paddy field, the last time being about six months back. No action has been taken by the Mamladar. She is not being compensated while her paddy field has been destroyed. Mrs. Gawade also mentioned the havoc alcohol consumption has wreaked in the area. The main cause of death for males aged 18-35 in the area is attributable to liquor consumption, she says. It is common for the men involved in mining to start consuming alcohol for medicinal purposes as well as to unwind from the stressful working conditions. Subsequent alcohol dependence and its various ill-effects are visible in the village. It may be only one person in the house who drinks liquor, Mrs. Gawade says, but the liquor affects the whole family.