‘UCIL white paper not satisfactory’

From our Correspondent
SHILLONG, Sept 25: The Dorbar Ki Khlieh Nongsynshar Ka Ri Hynniewtrep has asked the government to reconsider the decision to allow “pre-developmental activities” and to put in an independent health and environment impact assessment prior to approval of the development activities in Wahkaji area in West Khasi Hills.

The dorbar, a conglomerate of the federation of 25 Khasi states, in a letter to Chief Minister DD Lapang today placed contamination of streams and rivers and irreversible damage to biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in the area as facts for consideration by the government before the development activities.

Pointing out that the white paper submitted by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) to the previous MPA Government did not address the serious health and environment concerns, adviser and chairman of the dorbar John F Kharshiing said the matter needs an independent study by independent professionals on the impact assessment on the water resources in the Wahkaji area.

Kharshiing said that the excerpt from the white paper detailing how water resources can be tapped will lead to ecological damage and disaster of the important river resources in West Khasi Hills. He said Sawphew, Phudphra, Blei, Mawkhan, Rangam, (Domasiat, Nongtynger), Snget (Phlangdiloin), Ri Tham (Mihngi), 5 km from Phlangdilion, Phanmawpra, Rangkhait and Wahkaji rivers and their tributaries will be affected if the large-scale mining of the ore takes place.

“It is beyond dispute that this kind of large-scale mining will have a long-term impact on the quality of the important water resources and their tributaries as the overburdened waste rock will be exposed to 6 to 5 months of rainfall,” Kharshiing said. All the streams, rivers and their tributaries flow to the famous river Kynshi and subsequently river Jadukata crosses the international border with Bangladesh where the people of the area rely on the same watershed and surrounding land for drinking water and locally-grown organic food supplies.

According to the white paper submitted by UCIL, “the project activity would require large uninterrupted quantity of water, for which they would tap water resources from the rivers around the project area. Only treated effluents after appropriate monitoring will be released to the environment, waste rock and mill tailings will be used for back filling in mines and the balance material will be contained in an engineered containment system. It also states that wet drilling will be done to suppress dust generation and water will be sprayed on the broken ore or muck to control dispersal of dust. For management of waste rock, mine water, mill tailings and the effluent from the tailings containment the white paper said that will be given due importance during mining and ore processing operations. Environmental surveillance of surrounding areas of about 10 km radius will be carried out to assess impact of these operations. The radiation exposure rate atmospheric radon and gamma radiation levels will be periodically measured in the surrounding.”

On the damage to biosphere reserves and wildlife sanctuaries Kharshiing said the Koh Tyllaw Wildlife Sanctuary will be also be affected and extinction of elephants, wild buffalo, deer and a variety of tigers, cats, wild boar and rare birds is imminent as the 15 to 20 squire km sanctuary is already facing pressure from coal-mining activities along the Borsora, Shallang areas.

According to the white paper “the mine has been planned for 3,75,000 tonnes annual production and the estimated overburden quantity is about 2.5 million tonnes. Initially, overburdened rock will be dumped externally and then it will be back-filled into mined out areas…” which indicates large-scale extraction and mining. Further the white paper states “occupational hazards associated with mining and processing of uranium ore are common to such other operations as hard-rock mining and hydrometallurgical industries. In opencast mining, risks like exposure to siliceous dust, noise and blasting are common hazards, whereas in processing plant, common hazards, uranium mining and processing are also susceptible to low level of radiological hazards.”
“An aerial glance of the area from a contour map will help us understand the pressure created by human behaviour on the biosphere reserve and wildlife sanctuary existing in the area,” Kharshiing said, adding that a number of rivers, streams and their tributaries flow into the biosphere reserve and wildlife sanctuary.

Pointing out that the Ministry of Environment and Forest has also come out with a list of 23 environmentally sensitive places, Kharshiing said the proposed pre-developmental activities are in direct conflict with eight parameters as mentioned in the list of the environmentally sensitive places.

Stating that the white paper failed to highlight the facts of the public hearing held by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board, on June 12, 2007 at Nongbah Jynrin in West Khasi Hills Kharshiing also said the government should remember that “the Instrument of Accession and Annexed Agreement December 15, 1947 signed and accepted by the Central authorities with the Federation of 25 Khasi States clearly defines the rights of the indigenous people over their land, minerals, water and forest.”

Urging the government to rescind the transfer of land for the proposed pre-developmental activities Kharshiing said the government can withhold the lease as it is not necessary at this stage. “If the objective for now is only development, lease or transfer of the land would mean that the State Government has ignored the wish of its own people,” he said. THE SENTINEL