Children - Terre des Hommes

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The top five most mined districts are Korba, Koriya, Surguja,
Raigarh and Durg. 191 With simplified mining laws and quick
processing of lease applications being given high priority,
Chhattisgarh’s mining policy is quite conducive to private
and foreign investment. This has, unfortunately, triggered
a violent reaction from the Maoists who have resisted the
state’s attempts to acquire and exploit people’s land to serve
the multinationals. 192 The state also regularly loses millions
of rupees to illegal mining; nearly 1,500 illegal mining cases
were detected in Chhattisgarh in 2001 alone. Of these, 587
cases were of illegal mining and 834 of illegal transportation
of minerals. 193
For this newborn state, mining undoubtedly has enormous
economic benefits. But in its overdrive to tap into the huge
resources that mining offers, the state government is ignoring
the disastrous impacts mining has on the environment and
people. Chhattisgarh is facing environmental challenges such
as destruction of forests (as per the state’s official website, 44
per cent of the state’s land is under forests, of which 90,000
ha is now under mining of major minerals) and pollution
of rivers, which is the main source of irrigation for the
inhabitants of those lands, as well as detrimental impacts on
land productivity. Some reports have pointed out that illnesses
related to breathing and respiration, falling levels of immunity,
weakness and ill-health are all outcomes of pollution. In some
cases, people have been forced to migrate due the adverse
impact of pollution on their health. 194
The Mining Curse On the
Children of Chhatisgarh
Sunil (name changed) who refused to be photographed is from
the village Mudagaon, in Tamnar block. He suffers from skeletal
disorder and weakened bones due to the high fluorosis in the drinking
water. He is about 18 years of age but he has had a withered body
and dysfunctional limbs since the age of 9 years. He cannot walk or
sit up straight. He is completely dependent on his family for all his
needs. The villagers reported that there are several children like Sunil
who start showing skeletal and dental flourosis from a very early
age and by the time they reach their twenties most of them become
completely disabled. Education reports from the Block Resource
Coordinator (BRC) show that over 120 children are physically and
mentally handicapped for various reasons, in Tamnar block.
Source: Interview conducted in Mudagaon village, Raigarh, November 2009
“My name is Rakesh (name changed). I am about
17 years old. I dropped out from school 5 years
ago. At present I am doing some part-time work
in the mines and the rest of the time I take care
of my family’s cattle. We have been compensated
by Raipur Alloys which took our land for the coal
mines. They paid us Rs 130,000 per acre but most
of the compensation money has been spent. The
company promised to resettle us, but we are still
waiting for rehabilitation. As a manual worker in
the mines, I earn Rs. 80–100 per day”.
Source: Interview carried out near open-cast coal mines of Raipur
Alloys, near Kosampali village, Raigarh, November 2009
Raigarh district: Key facts
Total population: 1,265,529 (Census 2001)
Population (0–14 years): 140,095 (Census 2001)
Literacy rate:
Total 70.16 per cent
Male 82.7 per cent
Female 57.62 per cent (Census 2001)
Percentage of out-of-school children (6–14 years): 3.2 per cent (ASER 2008)
Percentage of children enrolled in AWC or pre-school (3–4 years): 77.7 per cent (ASER 2008)
Number of child labour: 364,572 (Census 2001)
Under five mortality rate (ranking):
443 out of 593 districts surveyed
(Jansankhya Sthirata Kosh)
191 Analysis by Centre for Science and Environment, Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, Pp. 122.
192 Srivastava, Devyani, Mining War in Chhattisgarh, Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, May 23, 2008. G:\Mining - PT\Chhattisgarh\Research\Mining War
in Chhattisgarh.htm, accessed on January 4, 2010.
193 Analysis by Centre for Science and Environment, Rich Lands, Poor People, 2008, Pp. 123.
194 Chhattisgarh Human Development Report 2005, Prepared for the Government of Chhattisgarh. Pp 31.