What is the problem?
Official reports suggest that mining Niyamgiri will result in massive deforestation, destruction of local ecosystems and threaten water sources. If the land that the Kondh tribal people are reliant on for their livelihoods is destroyed, it will be the end of a way of life that has existed for centuries.
There has already been widespread criticism of Vedanta’s toxic waste management at the refinery. People living nearby have complained that pollution has reduced crop yields and poisoned livestock and caused health problems. The Orissa State Pollution Control Board Report in 2008 found that caustic soda seepage from the site was ‘alarming’ and that ambient air quality was not conforming to standards.
Who is Vedanta Resources plc?
Vedanta Resources Plc is a UK metals and mining company. It operates throughout the world, but particularly in India. It produces aluminium, copper, zinc and lead.Sterlite Industries, a subsidiary of Vedanta, is currently set to start mining for bauxite (a raw form of aluminium) from the Niyamgiri Hills in the State of Orissa. A refinery has already been built at the base of the hills by another Vedanta subsidiary, Vedanta Aluminium Ltd. The refinery is already operational with bauxite being brought in from other mining sites.
What is the planned Vedanta project?
The Niyamgiri Mountain is rich in a mineral called bauxite which is the raw form of alumina. When alumina is refined it becomes aluminium – a cheap metal that is used the world over to produce everything from saucepans to aeroplanes.
Sterlite wants to build an open pit mine to extract bauxite from the top of the mountain, which would then be transported down to the refinery at the base of the mountain.
Who is affected?
The Niyamgiri hills is the ancestral home of three tribal groups – the Dongria Kondh, Kutia Kondh and the Jharania Kondh. These tribal groups are supposed to be protected under India’s Constitution as their distinctive way of life and culture makes them one of India’s most vulnerable indigenous groups.
For generations the thousands of people living in small groups across the mountain have depended upon it for their lives. The perennial springs provide water and the fruit and animals provide their food as well as their medicines and livelihoods. They also worship Niyamgiri Mountain as their living god.
The mountain is also a pristine ecosystem rich in biodiversity, which the Wildlife Institute of India states has ‘great conservation significance’. It is the abode of many endangered species, such as tiger, leopards and elephants.
What are we calling for?
ActionAid is supporting local campaigners in calling for:
- An immediate cancellation of plans to open the mine.
- The Indian Government to recognise and protect the constitutional rights of indigenous people to their ancestral lands.
