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Battle over ecology leaves KIOCL at the crossroads

Our Bureau

KUDREMUKH, Aug. 9

AS the battle between the environmentalists and the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company (KIOCL) continues over the mining in the Kudremukh area, the families of the employees of the company recently made a poignant attempt through a silent prayer to weather the t ension of having to face abrupt disturbance to their livelihood.

The mass prayer underlines the significance of the ``divine intervention at this time of crisis,'' said the members of the Mahila Samithy of Kudremukh Township, which organised the prayer.

The women were vocal in defending the company's right to get the long-term lease saying the company had taken all possible measures to protect the environment thus minimising any major damage to the region.

However, with the recent development of even the Union Government filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court seeking to curtail the lease period to only five years, a deep sense of anxiety has gripped the families and the employees' unions, who are worried about their future. An interlocutory application for banning the mining is already pending in the court.

``It is extremely difficult to think of an alternative suddenly when we are well settled in this place,'' was the unanimous voice of he dependents of the employees. The union leaders themselves were sceptical of measures like voluntary retirement scheme or relocation of employees in the Mangalore plant or the proposed mining project in Andhra Pradesh mitigating the problem.

KIOCL has been mining for ore in the Kudremukh region _ about 150 km from Mangalore _ for 30 years on a long-term lease. Its mining operations, spanning an area of 4,604.55 hectares, came under attack soon after the expiry of the lease in 1999.

However, it managed to obtain temporary work permit for two years convincing the Government of the measures taken by it to protect the ecologically-sensitive region from environmental degradation or any damage to the eco-system.

However, with the intensification of the protests from environmentalists, even the temporary permit for this year had been kept in abeyance before being granted only on August 5 by the State Government for a restricted period of only three months.

Answering questions on the controversy, Mr Gurumurthy, Director (Production and Projects), while admitting the potential adverse impact of mining in the region on the eco-system, said ``we have taken elaborate measures to avert any large-scale damage to the forests or the river system.''

The company had spent about Rs 120 crore over a period to prevent the mining operations disturbing this richly-endowed Western Ghats region. A 100-m high earthen dam had been constructed to prevent the ore tailings (wastage from the processing the ore bl ocks) escaping into the river Bhadra and also adopting mining methods which will cause least damage to the green cover. KIOCL has even undertaken planting of 7.5 million trees under an afforestation scheme to maintain the green of the area.

In fact, he averred, most of the ore bodies (hillocks) taken up for mining were bald and had only a growth of grass as against the perception of them being rich in foliage of different species.

``We are prepared to take any more measures to retain the bio-diversity of the region,'' he said, adding KIOCL has already made a study with the aid of an Australian company to remove the ore tailings from the Lakya Dam built for the specific purpose.

The project involves recovering ore content from the tailings and replacing the silts in the dam. The company had plans to build another dam to store more such tailings. However, with the uncertainty lingering over the company, the plan has been put in t he backburner.

KIOCL has also built two ``pollution control dams'' to take care of mine-wash offs after the cutting to prevent silting of the downstream of river Bhadra or its tributaries around the mining areas. This helps in retaining the silt while allowing the clea r water flowing into the river.

Mr Gurumurthy also dispelled fears of Lakya dam causing further submergence of the rich grasslands due to continued mining saying an alternate sluice system has been built to prevent the eventuality.

With an annual average rainfall of 7,000 mm, submergence of the area can happen the even otherwise. Mr Gurumurthy however, said the area is nowhere near any habitat to cause any worry in the event of submergence.

Meanwhile, environmentalists and scientists argue that Kudremukh mining project would have an impact on the biodiversity and ecology of the region.

A report on the impact on of iron ore mining on the flora and fauna of Kudremukh National Park has observed that ``it is time that we considered the impact of the ongoing and potential impact of mining in the region in the light of new scientific knowled ge that has emerged since the time mining started.''

The report prepared on the commissioning of the Karnataka Forest Department was submitted in January.

Environmentalists averred that sediment contribution from mining could reduce the designed life span (180 years) of the Bhadra reservoir. They also picked holes in the study made by National Environmental Engineering Institute (NEERI) and said it was a c omprehensive study to give a correct picture of the silt loads during and after monsoon to determine the effect of mine wash seeping into the river.

Picture: Pollution control dam: Muddy water, containing minewash from the Ored hills flowing before the clear water finding its way into Bhadra river after desilting in the dam.

Picture by V.K. Varadarjan