IMPACT ASSESSMENT
POSCO ruling sets new terms
The National Green Tribunal's judgement in the POSCO case has implications for many other industrial development projects in the country.
Regulation
April 2012

MINING
The battlefield of hopes
As in many other struggles around the country, in Kalinganagar too there are fractures within the opposition to the proposed industrial plants, and families are torn apart by bleak choices.
Orissa | Displacement
December 2010

MINING/TRADITION
Grappling with change
Communities along the Shnongrim ridge are caught between the plans of mining companies and their own traditional livelihoods. Some are changing their minds, while others despair.
Livelihoods
November 2010

DRAFT MINING REGULATION
Mining vs. Communities
The Sustainable Development Framework has captured the feedback about mining-related damages, but the draft regulations for mining don't reflect this understanding.
Environment laws
October 2010

MINING IN NIYAMGIRI
Round and round the sacred hills
Despite many violations, protests, and committee recommendations against mining in the Niyamgiri hills, the region's fate lies in the corridors of power.
Environment regulation | Orissa
August 2010

ALL THAT GLITTERS - I
Blinding lure, dirty lucre
Extracting gold needed to forge a wedding band leaves behind at least 20-30 tons of waste and environmental devastation. Mahazareen Dastur writes about the costs of gold mining in the first of a two-part series.
Hazards
June 2010

ALL THAT GLITTERS - II
Gold mining: The way forward
Gold mining wreaks havoc on the environment and humans alike, but there are ways to help minimise the damage. Mahazareen Dastur concludes this two-part series.
Hazards
June 2010

TACKLING NAXALISM
Pause the mineral economy
Let the mineral wealth of Central India remain untapped until the people there acquire the capacity to negotiate the terms for its use and benefit directly from doing so.
Firdaus Ahmed | National Security
May 2010

ILLEGAL MINING
Lokayukta slams mining in forests
A long history of questionable practices in the mining industry catches up with its practitioners, landing the whole affair in the Supreme Court.
Forests | Karnataka
January 2010

MINING WASTE
Coal waste darkens the Kelo
It is plain for all to see that untreated mining waste is being discharged into the river around Khamaria, but it is equally plain that the government is doing nothing about it.
Chhatisgarh
December 2009

EYES ON THE FORESTS
A miner's shortcut goes awry
A Jindal group-Government of TN firm attempted to get clearance for mining in the Eastern Ghats forests. Both MoEF and a Supreme Court committee said 'No'.
Forests | Tamilnadu
October 2009

ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION
Awarded in haste, withheld
Over 170 organisations and individuals came together to highlight Vedanta's history of environmental irregularities to the Golden Peacock jury members, prompting a second look.
Environment regulation
June 2009

MINING
Vedanta - the suspense continues
The CEC offers recommendations on how the SC's order on Vedanta Alumina's plans for mining in Orissa should proceed.
Orissa | Environment laws
May 2008

MINING IN ORISSA
Mine today, gone tomorrow
The Supreme Court acknowledges the indictment of Vedanta's operations in India by the Norwegian Council on Ethics, but its recent verdict appears to let the company off lightly, treating the Indian subsidiary as unrelated to its parent. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Forests | Environment regulation | Orissa
December 2007

NOXIOUS COAL MINES
In the line of fire
The Jharia mines in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district produce the best quality coking coal (used in blast furnaces) in India. However, the area, mostly inhabited by tribals, has been smouldering with underground mine fires for several decades now. Kalpana Pradhan reports on the health impact.
Health hazards | Jharkhand
November 2006

MINING REGULATIONS
Defining temporary permissions
What happens when a company's mining permit or forest clearance expires before its renewal application is approved? After a year of arguments in the Supreme Court showed conclusively that there were no uniform guidelines, the court has now acted to set this right. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Regulations
September 2006

CITIZEN DIRECT
Illegal mining near Rajaji National Park
A group of farmers based near the Rajaji National Park in Uttaranchal have reported illegal stone and sand mining activities in the eco fragile zone to local and national authorities. They are farming in Banjarowala Grant village, Haridwar district near the border of Uttaranchal and U.P.
Environmental hazards | Uttaranchal
April 2006

HEALTH HAZARDS
White asbestos, a health time bomb
The Ministry of Mines and Minerals says it may lift the ban on asbestos mining. It is ignoring the views of exposure victims, informed recommendations of public sector medical experts, and mounting evidence of an asbestos disease epidemic emerging in developed countries, writes Gopal Krishna.
Health hazards
April 2006

PROTRACTED CONSERVATION BATTLE
Kudremukha mining: closure in sight?
On 31 December 2005, the curtains are set to come down on the Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd's long disputed mining operations in the protected Kudremukh National Park. But ensuring an end to mining in one of the most stunning landscapes of the country has not been easy. Pavithra Sankaran provides a telling narrative.
Forests | Karnataka
October 2005

ORISSA ALUMINIUM MINING
SC committee says no to Vedanta refinery
The Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee on Forests issued a report on 21 September 2005 recommending the revocation of environmental clearances given to Vedanta Alumina Ltd's 1 million tonne aluminium refinery in Orissa's Niyamgiri forests. The CEC found that Vedanta had falsified information.
Environment regulation | Orissa
October 2005

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS
Silicosis - a 'dusty' tale in Rajasthan
The lung dust that hundreds of thousands of mineworkers in Rajasthan are exposed to takes a severe toll on their health and lives. The rules meant to protect them, however, have yet to be dusted off the shelves. Deepak Malik recounts the history of the mineworkers' plight.
Labour | Rajasthan
August 2005

KERALA : BEACH EROSION THREAT
Coastal sand mining push despite eco-risks
On 7 June, the Kerala government-constituted K John Mathew Commission greenlighted mineral sandmining on a narrow strip of beach and the adjacent sea basin in Alapuzha district. M Suchitra and P N Venugopal note that the report has irked the local communities as well as environmentalists.
Kerala
June 2005

KERALA: SAND MINING IN RIVER BEDS
Mining away the river
Despite numerous prohibitions and regulations, sand mining continues rapidly on the riverbed of the Bharathapuzha. Water tables have dropped dramatically, and a land once known for its plentiful rice harvest now faces scarcity of water, as locals are split between conservation and livelihood. Deepa A reports.
Water | Kerala
June 2005

URANIUM MINING IN ANDHRA
The half-life of justice and common sense
After one round of public scrutiny and an adverse order from the Supreme court, UCIL's plans for uranium mining in Nalgonda seemed to be defeated. But the company now proposes to continue down the same path, apparently unmindful of local opposition or legal strictures. Sunita Dubey reports.
Environmental Regulations | A.P.
April 2005

ILLEGAL CLEARING OF FORESTS
Orissa's aluminum mining costs are steep
The Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court has found illegalities in central government clearances to Sterlite Industries' bauxite mining project in Orissa. The committee has recommended (to the apex court) against diversion of forestlands for the project. Kanchi Kohli reports.
Forests | Mining | Orissa
March 2005

Wrong, but still right!
Despite an Inspection Panel report confirming substantial violations of its lending policies in a Coal India project in Jharkhand, the World Bank's board recommends only minimal action. Management asserts that most locals' lives were in fact improved by the project.
Jharkhand
September 2003

Mineral sand coast under threat
A recent proposal for sand mining in Kerala's Alappuzha district has come under severe scrutiny from both law-makers and experts of the region. Benefits of the project do not seem to outweigh the costs to fisheries and the environment. Sreedevi Jacob reports.
Kerala | Fisheries
August 2003

Not quite as planned or promised
The World Bank's Inspection Panel finds that a Bank-backed coal mine disrupted livelihoods by violating guidelines on resettlement, supervision, and the environment.
February 2003