Children - Terre des Hommes

161
the Joda and Barbil region with loaded ore, to different parts
of the state, leading to severe dust pollution, apart from
social problems. The main rivers of this region, Baitarani and
Brahmani, are highly polluted and have reduced flow. There
is no safe drinking water for the villages in this region as the
water sources and canals are contaminated by the pollution
from the companies. Almost all the villages visited complained
of water pollution and the indiscriminate dumping of mine
waste into the water bodies. The companies sometimes supply
water when the communities protest, but this is very rare.
The most common diseases in the Joda area are waterborne
diseases. In most of the areas visited it was reported that
incidence of malaria is very high. The local communities
reported that occupational hazards like TB and skin diseases
are very common among the people working in the mines,
particularly near Joda. The area lacks health care facilities
both for workers and the communities. Many of the workers
reported that cases of cough, cold and respiratory problems
are high in the region. Most of the villages complained that
they had no access to medical facilities.
Khasia village has no health services and has severe health
problems like TB, malaria, malnourishment and several
waterborne diseases. They have to go to the nearest town
Barbil, for any medical help. In Bolani and Badakalimati
villages, people also reported several cases of HIV/AIDS and
STD. In Dobuna village people complained of skin diseases
and heart problems apart from the above mentioned diseases.
Tanto is one of the most polluted mining villages where people
are suffering from all the above mentioned illnesses. Recently
12 people from the village of Madrangajodi were reported to
have died due to TB and the villagers reported that 12–15
others are undergoing treatment for TB.
Opening Up Greenfield Areas to
Mining in Keonjhar
The state government has not taken any action on the serious
legal and human rights violations that have been constantly
brought to the focus by media and NGOs. Yet, in a region
saturated by mining, more projects are in the pipeline. Without
proper assessment of the impacts on the area and especially on
the women and children and the adivasi population here, the
government has proposed to exploit fresh villages for mining.
Some of the proposed areas are remote adivasi villages, which
have very fertile lands where people have reported that three
crops are harvested annually. These are villages where the local
governance machinery is barely functional and the social and
economic security of these communities is dependent on their
own traditional livelihood and resources.
Keonjhar is a traditional feudal agricultural belt where majority
of the people depend on agricultural labour and cultivation
of food crops. The imminent threat to the children from the
proposed mining is the danger to their food security and the
shift from these proposed villages to mine labour work as is seen
in the other mining impacted villages in the district. Almost
all the land proposed to be acquired is either rich agricultural
land with paddy cultivation or forest land rich in non-timber
forest produce. In eight of the nine wards in Janardhanpur, the
villagers are agitating against Sterlite, of the Vedanta group,
which plans to acquire their lands. Table 2.40 gives information
Table 2.40: Land to be acquired for M/s Sterlite Iron and Steel Limited
Name of village Total families Land to be acquired/ percentage No. of families proposed to be displaced
Tikarapada 370 600 acres/33 84
Mahadeijoda 383 270 acres/13 Data not available
Siliguan 393 73 acres/25 16
Singhraisuan 15+ lower santal 124 acres/99 Data not available
Kadagarh 282 440 acres/40 16
Gopinathpur 245 124 acres/31 16
Janardhanpur 271 248 acres/35 Data not available
Dhatika 65 220 acres/91 29
Narasinghpur 83 55 acres/24 Data not available
Source: Village head, Rajabandha (figures are approximate based on people’s statements)