Mining – India 1
1. APMDC: ‘no communication received’ 1
2. MOEF to conduct survey of mining region 2
3. Kazakh to supply 2,000 tonnes of uranium 3
4. Tata Steel plans to restructure Corus' Europe operations 3
5. Balco may close plant as aluminium prices crash 4
6. Raging mine fires and a neglected people 5
7. 30 coal-based power plants running at critical stock level 7
Mining – International 8
8. PM orders review of bauxite mining 8
9. ArcelorMittal shelves steel project in Indonesia 10
10. Harvard Study Criticizes Child Labor in Diamond Mines 10
11. Council to allow Caloundra sandmine 12
12. Mining firm set to sign pact with Gold Fields 13
13. Five years before BHP Billiton reaches mining site 14
14. Massive mine threatens rain forest in Madagascar 15
Other News – India 17
15. Tribals find a solution to water problem 17
16. Security guards boycott duty 18
17. Popularising organic farming 18
18. Tribals to get 'pattas' for 4 lakh acres 20
19. NGO network to curb child labour urged 21
Mining – India
APMDC: ‘no communication received’
Staff Reporter
________________________________________
The five iron ore mining leases are located in the limits of Obulapuram and H.Siddpauram village
________________________________________
HINDUPUR: Director of Mines and Geology Department and in-charge Managing Director of Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation (APMDC), V.D. Rajagopal, on Wednesday said that their department did not receive any letter from the Central Government directing the State Government to suspend mining leases and mining activity of five leases in Anantapur district.
Speaking to newspersons here, he said the reported letter from the Ministry of Environment and Forests asking the State Government to stop mining activity in the leases given to Obulapuram Mining Company (2), Bellary Iron Ore Private Limited, Y. Mahabaleswarappa and Sons and Anantapur Mining Corporation - till demarcation of leased areas and provision of boundaries and safety zones - was not received.
The five iron ore mining leases are located in the limits of Obulapuram and H.Siddpauram village in D.Hirehal mandal in the district. However, some directions were learnt to have been received by the Forest Department, he said. A few mining companies had already moved the High Court over demarcation of the leases and a public interest litigation is pending with a Division Bench of the High Court, he said. He was in the town to participate in a private programme.
The Mines and Geology Department had registered an income of Rs. 1,754 crore during 2008-09 against Rs. 1,660 cr. in 2007-08. New projects with an estimated cost of Rs. 40,000 cr. are coming up in the State, apart from three projects with Rs. 27,000 cr. in Visakhapatnam agency area. The agency area has 700 million tonnes of mineral reserves including bauxite, but there were some problems to exploit the minerals. Each hectare could get an income of about Rs. 300 crore, he said.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050151600300.htm
MOEF to conduct survey of mining region
1 May 2009, 2055 hrs IST, PTI
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Environment and Forests on Friday told the Supreme Court that it will conduct a survey in six weeks to demarcate
boundaries of various mining companies in Anantpur mining region bordering Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
The submission was made during a hearing of a petition filed by Bellary Iron Ores Pvt Ltd chairman S K Modi who had sought a direction to the Ministry to conduct the survey within a time frame.
The Ministry had on April 22 issued a notification suspending mining operations of around five companies including Obulapuram Mining Company Pvt Ltd (OMC) owned by Karnataka minister Jannardhan Reddy.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan disposed of Modi's petition after MoEF Counsel Haris Beeran submitted that the survey will be conducted within six weeks.
Modi alleged some mine owners had been carrying out illegal mining in the areas that adversely affected the ecology
of the region.
Both Obulapuram Mining Company and Bellary Iron Ores are fighting against each other for a piece of extra mining area in Anantpur district.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Health--Science/Earth/Pollution/MOEF-to-conduct-survey-of-mining-region/articleshow/4473150.cms
Kazakh to supply 2,000 tonnes of uranium
Sandeep Dikshit
NEW DELHI: Kazakhstan will supply over 2,000 tonnes of uranium to India for its existing nuclear plants. Both sides are negotiating the price.
India could also take up equity stake in Kazakh uranium mines and join the nuclear research centre being set up with active Japanese collaboration.
These issues were discussed during a recent telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, said reliable sources.
The leaders were due to interact when Mr. Nazarbayev was here as the chief guest at Republic Day, the first Central Asian President conferred the privilege. But the meeting did not happen as Dr. Singh was indisposed.
The uranium supply will be for five years and comes with no strings attached. If the Inter-Governmental Agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy is finalised in the coming years, supply could begin by the year-end. This would be the third international pact to bridge the supply-demand gap. India has already signed agreements with Russia and France for sourcing uranium for nuclear plants being built by their companies.
As part of an Indian strategy to set a footprint in Central Asia, Dr. Singh discussed plans to collaborate more actively in space and biological research, besides the National Thermal Power Corporation’s proposal to install a mega plant in northern Kazakhstan.
Though Kazakhstan has suitors in Russia, China and companies from the western world, it is keen on tapping Indian expertise in select areas as part of its multivector (balanced approach) policy.
“Though both countries do not need each other in a big way, India should show itself prominently in that part of the world,” said the sources.
Both sides are focussing on big projects to start with.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050160582200.htm
Tata Steel plans to restructure Corus' Europe operations
Nevin John / Mumbai May 02, 2009, 0:13 IST
Plants in Spain, France and the Netherlands under review.
BSE | NSE
Price
The global slump in steel prices and demand has prompted Tata Steel to consider restructuring the continental European operations of Corus, the Anglo-Dutch steel major it acquired in 2007 for $12 billion.
The focus of the review is Corus’ plants in Spain, France and the Netherlands, which could include selling these units if the need arises. Tata Steel's consolidated profits fell 48 per cent to Rs 732 crore in the quarter ended December, after Corus faced a drop in sales (the company does not give Corus' results separately).
Corus, which has an annual production capacity of 20 million tonnes, has plants in the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium.
This week, the company suffered a setback after an Italian buyer, Marcegaglia, backed out from a deal to buy its Teesside plant in northern England, saying the $480 million deal would financially stretch the company.
An e-mail sent to the company spokesperson on Wednesday did not elicit a response.
To limit losses, Corus has already decided to divest in downstream businesses. Briand Investments, an affiliate of UK-based investment group Klesch, had agreed to acquire Corus' aluminium smelters at Voerde in Germany and Delfzijl in the Netherlands.
The company has also closed the three service centres in the UK. As part of restructuring its building systems division, it has closed units in south Wales and relocated the facilities to Shotton in north-east England.
Tata Steel, which has about $9 billion debt in its books, is also looking to roll over the $4 billion of debt it raised to buy Corus. Sources said the company planned to extend the loan repayment period for three years to help Corus weather the downturn. Tata Steel has to repay $795 million in 2009-10 and $1.3 billion in 2010-11; however, the company is free from repayment until December 2009.
“The company may use part its $1.9 billion reserves for the loan repayment, but that will adversely affect its expansion plans in India. The company requires $1.2 billion for its capital expenditure during this fiscal,” said a Mumbai-based analyst.
Corus, the analyst added, has already cut 40 per cent of its production after the demand slump, so cash flows from Europe also will be lower. “The restricted cash flow will affect Corus' plans to acquire iron ore and coking coal mines for raw material security,” said a Mumbai-based analyst.
The Tata Steel and Corus managements have already gone through some top-level changes after Philippe Varin resigned as chief executive to head French car maker PSA Peugeot Citroen. Kirby Adams, former chief executive of BlueScope Steel in Australia, has succeeded Varin.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/tata-steel-plans-to-restructure-corus-europe-operations/356862/
Balco may close plant as aluminium prices crash
Abhineet Kumar / Mumbai May 02, 2009, 0:45 IST
Bharat Aluminium Company (Balco), a 51 per cent subsidiary of Sterlite Industries, is planning to close its plant-1, which produces 100,000 tonnes of aluminium every year, as the dip in prices makes production unprofitable.
Billionaire Anil Agarwal-promoted Sterlite Industries acquired the majority stake in government-owned Balco in 2001 for Rs 552 crore. The company added 250,000 tonnes per annum of additional smelting capacity to produce aluminium after the acquisition.
“That plant has a high cost of production and it is not feasible to operate it when aluminium prices have dropped significantly,” said a company executive. It has started reducing output and a full closure is expected soon.
Aluminium prices fell to $1,251 a tonne on the London Metal Exchange (LME) from last July’s all-time high of $3,271, as the global credit crunch and economic slowdown curbed demand for the base metal. On Wednesday, the metal’s LME price was $1,421 a tonne.
The inventory of aluminium has reached all-time high of 3.76 million tonnes on the LME. An analyst estimates about 35 per cent of aluminium producers worldwide are making losses, many announcing closures.
“We plan to sell surplus power after the closure to make profit,” said the executive; there is a 270 Mw dedicated power plant.
Sterlite Industries is, however, expanding its aluminium production capacity through another subsidiary, called Vedanta Aluminium. The company plans to ramp up the first phase of its aluminum smelter in Jharsuguda, Orissa, to 250,000 tonnes by June. In the second phase, another plant with the same capacity will be completed by the end of the current financial year.
These plants have a low cost of production and the company hopes to sustain the new production despite low prices for the metal.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/balco-may-close-plant-as-aluminium-prices-crash/356845/
Raging mine fires and a neglected people
RAKTIMA BOSE
Politicians have no time for the plight of the people who live in and around the Samdih coal mines in Bengal
Photo: Arunangsu Roy Chowdhury
Posters at Samdih protesting against the mine fire at the collieries.
Destructive mine fires rage a few feet beneath their feet and the floors of their mud houses have developed cracks that spew foul-smelling methane gas. But life goes on as usual for hundreds living in and around Samdih coal mine at Salanpur in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district.
For them, exercising their voting rights every five years is just another daily chore — they have stopped expecting any improvement in their lives in return for their votes. The region falls under the Asansol Lok Sabha constituency that will go to the polls on May 7.
Coal rich
A coal-rich belt, the economy of the entire region is dependant on the fossil fuel.
“Will you write about us?” “Who will read it?” “Will your writing make any difference to our condition?” This correspondent is bombarded with such questions during a visit.
Residents say that the fire started seven years ago when authorities of the Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) started mining in the region. The fire gradually started spreading towards residential areas, causing land subsidence and the emission of harmful gases.
A month ago, the ground caved in at one place, killing two people of gas poisoning and leading to an entire village of over 62 houses to be abandoned. A handful of ponds, the only source of water in this semi-arid area, are quickly drying up resulting in a water scarcity in the area.
But their plight is not reflected in the campaigns of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) candidate, Banshagopal Choudhury, or the Trinamool Congress nominee, Moloy Ghatak.
No campaigning
“None of the candidates bother to even campaign in this area. We have not in all these years seen what the two-time sitting MP Banshagopal Choudhury looks like,” says Supal Ruidas, a resident of the village says.
Rehabilitation of affected families is another issue of discontent. Two to three such families are forced to stay together in pigeon hole-sized apartments, which again are in shambles.
No response
“We have made repeated appeals to the ECL authorities. But these have fallen on deaf ears. None of the political parties come forward to support our demand. And so, we are stuck in the middle of nowhere,” rues Kajal Ruidas.
Mr. Ruidas, however, is well aware of his voting rights and is determined to exercise it.
“I know it is just another duty. Still, it is one of the very few rights I am left with. I will definitely vote,” he asserts.
It is a view that is strongly supported by other residents. Ravila Ruidas, whose husband died of gas poisoning a month back, says: “Life is a constant struggle for me and my two minor sons now. Casting my vote might not make any difference in altering the predicament I am in. But it will re-establish my identity as a citizen of the country.”
The candidates in the fray have radically different views on who is to blame for their travails.
While Mr. Choudhury claims that the problem is the result of the negligence of the Central coal agencies and has nothing to do with the State Government, Mr. Ghatak blames the State Government for squandering Central funds allotted for filling up abandoned mines with sand.
As the blame continues, the residents in and around the Samdih coal mine — who are left in the lurch — watch in helplessness.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/02/stories/2009050253601300.htm
30 coal-based power plants running at critical stock level
Press Trust of India / New Delhi May 1, 2009, 17:23 IST
Shortage of coal continues to play havoc with thermal power companies as 30 coal-based plants have stocks that will meet their requirements for less than seven days, according to CEA data.
The 30 plants include state-owned NTPC's 1,840 Mw Kahalgaon thermal power station in Bihar.
The Kahalgoan plant's stock is sufficient for less than three days due to short supply from Eastern Coalfields(ECL), the data said.
The company's 1,600 Mw Farakka thermal power station in West Bengal has coal stocks for 10 days. The minimum fuel storage requirement of a thermal power plant is 22 days.
Both these plants get coal from the Raj Mahal coal mines, with a capacity of 10.5 million tonnes at present and there is a proposal to expand this capacity to 17 million tonnes. And NTPC is only able to procure 6-7 rakes (nearly 3,800 tonnes) of coal through the Railways.
"We are trying to see how it (coal shortage) can be met... Exploring options to meet the requirement of these NTPC power plants," a senior power ministry official said.
The fuel is supplied to these plants through the MGR (Merry-Go-Round) system by ECL. This system cannot take more than 11 rakes a day.
http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/30-coal-based-power-plants-running-at-critical-stock-level/60145/on
Mining – International
PM orders review of bauxite mining
Construction at the Nhan Co aluminum factory in Dak Nong Province.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has ordered a comprehensive review of the planned bauxite mining and smelting projects in the Central Highlands to follow up the Politburo’s statement on the issue late last month.
The Politburo is the decision-making body of the Central Communist Party.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is required to review the projects, taking into account the influence of the global economic downturn, evaluate their likely environmental impact, and suggest possible modifications, PM Dung said in a statement posted Thursday on the government website.
The task for the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is to continue its research into the nation’s bauxite reserves and suggest control measures for bauxite mining.
The Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry Group (Vinacomin), which PM Dung told to adhere strictly to the environmental protected regulations, must draw up detailed plans for land use, mining and post-mining environmental recovery to ensure minimum damage to farms and forests in the region.
These plans must be approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment before they are executed.
Vinaconmin can proceed with its mining and smelting plans for Tan Rai in Lam Dong Province but must evaluate the commercial viability and environmental impact before proceeding with the project at Nhan Co in Dak Nong Province.
The two provinces are responsible for liaising with government ministries and the miners to arrange compensation and resettlement for the people affected by the projects.
Resettlement must be handled in such a way as to improve the lives of relocated residents, and ensure that their traditions and cultures are preserved and supported.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade will deliver a progress report at the next session of the National Assembly, Vietnam’s parliament, in May.
In related news, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang said modern technology will be used to dig up bauxite and extract alumina, and dismissed allegations that Chinese technology and Chinese workers will be employed.
“All the world’s major aluminum producers use the technology developed by Bayer, which has proven itself after nearly a century of use,” the government website quoted Quang as saying in an interview.
He said the technology will be used in the smelters at Nhan Co and Tan Rai to extract some 83.6 percent of the alumina from bauxite.
The EPC (engineering-procurement-construction) tenders for the projects have gone to the Chinese company Chalieco.
Quang confirmed that the projects are not joint ventures and belong solely to Vinacomin, which will employ local workers only.
The rumors that laborers from China will be brought in are ill-founded, he said.
Since the extraction process will consume a huge amount of electricity, several power stations will be built after 2010 for this purpose, he said.
At this stage, Vinacomin is preparing to build a hydroelectric dam and power station to be known as Dong Nai 5.
Source: Thanh Nien
http://www.thanhniennews.com/politics/?catid=1&newsid=48423
ArcelorMittal shelves steel project in Indonesia
LONDON: The world's largest steel producer ArcelorMittal has shelved its plans of setting up steel facilities in Indonesia after finding the proposed endeavour to be unviable in the wake of the global economic slowdown.
“We have looked at the feasibility of establishing steel facilities in Indonesia and, at this time, we are not pursuing the project,” ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO, Mr L N Mittal has said while announcing the company's results.
The steel giant had not made any formal announcement about the investment proposed in the Indonesia project, but media reports said it was to the tune of $10 billion.
“We were evaluating it. So, it was never part of our strategy. Historically, there was a press news by the Indonesian government that ArcelorMttal was looking for a $10-billion investment, but never an announcement from our side,” Mr Mittal said.
Asked if the company would consider the project in future, the India-born billionaire said he could not be futuristic.
“Future we don't know, but at this (point of) time, in short to medium term, I don't see feasibility of any Greenfield project in Indonesia,'' Mr Mittal said.
Besides Indonesia, the steel major has proposed $20 billion Greenfield project in India, where it plans to set up integrated steel plants of 12-million tonnes annual capacity each in Jharkhand and Orissa. - PTI
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/businessline/blnus/14011716.htm
Harvard Study Criticizes Child Labor in Diamond Mines
By Scott Stearns
Dakar
01 May 2009 Harvard University's human rights program says children are being exploited as a source of cheap labor for diamond mines in Sierra Leone.
Diamond seekers work in mine outside Freetown, Sierra Leone (File)
Concern about Sierra Leone's so-called "blood diamonds" used by rebels to finance years of civil war led to industry reforms known as the Kimberly Process certifying the origin of diamonds as "conflict free."
But the end of fighting in Sierra Leone has not improved the lives of children working in the mines.
"Even in the aftermath of the Kimberly Process, diamonds still are funded by exploitative labor," said Matthew Wells, a student in the human rights program at Harvard University's law school.
"It's destroying an entire generation. It's alienating a generation. It's back-breaking labor with severe health consequences. The mining pits are grounds for malaria because they are mining in the shallow waters," he said. "The pits, as they are digging deeper and deeper, are collapsing and people are being seriously injured and killed. And so it is a very dangerous industry, especially for small children who are forced to do very difficult labor."
Wells helped write the university human rights program's new report on child mining in Sierra Leone entitled, "Digging in the Dirt."
He says many children came to the mines after their parents were killed during the civil war. Others are working to help provide for their families. Child mining is not only illegal, Wells says, it is also not a sustainable source of income.
"They are paid a pittance. They are paid $1, $2 max a day for their labor. So it is not something that is actually benefitting them in terms of being able to provide for their household," Wells said. "So instead, they need to be provided the education that the government of Sierra Leone is obligated to provide them under domestic law because that will give them real opportunities to get out of the mines and provide sustainable money for their family."
The Harvard report has two broad recommendations.
It wants the government in Freetown to spend more on education. While primary school fees are covered by the government, Wells says there are other costs including uniform fees, exam fees, and payments to teachers that still make primary education prohibitive for many families.
"The government needs to redirect more resources to education because the children and the youth of this country are the future of this country," he said. "If Sierra Leone is going to move in the direction that I think we all want it to, then the government needs to take these children's rights far more seriously."
The report also calls on President Ernest Bai Koroma's government to improve mining regulations so more of the profits that come out of diamond-mining villages return to benefit those doing the work.
While researching the report, Wells says he heard many people complain about government officials illegally obtaining mining licenses either for themselves or for business associates. He says Sierra Leone's anti-corruption commission should be more active in investigating illicit involvement in the country's diamond trade.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-05-01-voa24.cfm
Council to allow Caloundra sandmine
12:00a.m. 2nd May 2009
| By Janine Hill
A sandmine at Beerwah. Photo:Contributed/180707
The Sunshine Coast Regional Council has put wheels in motion to allow the mining of a massive sand deposit west of Caloundra.
The council has drafted an amendment to its planning scheme which would allow extractive industry at the 1714 hectare site at Meridan Plains.
A study last year identified the site, known as key resource area 49, as one of the state’s most significant sand deposits.
Councillor Anna Grosskreutz said the site was the largest sand deposit in south-east Queensland, with the potential to supply 200,000 tonnes of sand a year for the 60-80 years, and was integral to regional development and infrastructure in south-east Queensland, where existing supplies were starting to dwindle.
“This is a resource that we are generally running out of. This site will provide for development from north Brisbane, up,” she said.
Ms Grosskreutz said she understood that the land was owned by a consortium which had not yet indicated its specific intentions for the site.
She said an application could not be made to mine at the site until the planning scheme amendment had been passed.
Public submissions on the amendment will be accepted until May 15.
Ms Grosskreutz said she did not expect the Meridan Plains site to be a controversial one, given that its potential had long been known and few residents would be affected in the surrounding rural area.
“We’ve always known and the state government has known that there were sand mining resources there,” she said.
She said sandmining was a low-impact extractive industry compared to hard-rock quarrying, with far less noise and dust, and the land left behind was usually suitable for lakes and landscaping.
She said trucks using the site would not impact on any existing road network as a new road would have to be built linking the site directly to Caloundra Road.
Boral currently runs a sand mining operation west of the Bruce Highway on land known as key resource area 50, between Glenview and Mooloolah, but a company spokeswoman said it had not secured an interest in key resource area 49.
That leaves Hanson Australia as the likely company to mine the site but the Daily was unable to obtain a response from the company this week.
http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2009/may/02/council-allow-caloundra-sandmine/
Mining firm set to sign pact with Gold Fields
May 2, 2009, 4:11pm
Mindoro Resources Ltd. said it is a step closer to signing a deal that would allow Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI) to acquire up to 75% of its Philippine gold-copper projects. "All negotiations and legal issues on the Batangas joint venture with Gold Fields have been resolved and we are awaiting a clean copy of the memorandum of agreement from Gold Fields for signing," Mindoro said in a statement. The two companies began in September last year discussions on Gold Fields' potential acquisition of mining projects currently controlled by Mindoro. The deal would cover Mindoro's El Paso, Lobo and Talahib porphyry copper-gold projects, all in Batangas province, south of Manila. Pending the formal signing of an agreement, Gold Fields has been carrying out low-key mapping work, Mindoro said. "It's thought they'll have full scale exploration underway in May," the company said. The world's fourth largest producer of the metal, Gold Fields is listed in South Africa and Dubai, and on the New York Stock Exchange. Mindoro is listed in Toronto and Frankfurt.
http://mb.com.ph/articles/204558/mining-firm-set-sign-pact-with-gold-fields
Five years before BHP Billiton reaches mining site
Article from: Herald Sun
Cameron England
May 01, 2009 12:00am
IT will take five years of mining before BHP Billiton can even start mining the ore body under its proposed expansion of the Olympic Dam mine.
BHP said about 410 million tonnes of material would be moved every year, and stored in a rock storage facility eventually 150m high, covering 6720ha.
The issue is that the ore body, which is shaped like a frying pan, is about 300m underground.
"The proposed open pit would mine the 'pan' and the underground operation would continue to take the ore from the 'handle'," says the environmental impact statement for the project, released yesterday.
"By 2050 it would be larger in area than any other Australian mine, except the Morwell open-cut coal mine in the Latrobe Valley of Victoria, and would be more than three times as deep."
The mine would eventually be 4.1km long, 3.5km wide and 1km deep.
The massive open-cut mine would require surrounding aquifers to be "de-watered" to control the inflow of groundwater into the mine.
The mining process would involve drilling and blasting the rock, which would be loaded into mining trucks using massive electric rope shovels.
A new concentrator would need to be built to crush the ore for processing.
A new hydrometallurgical plant would also need to be built to cope with the increased ore processing needs.
Upgrades to the existing electro-refinery and smelter would also be needed.
The equipment purchase for the mine is destined to be one of the largest the world has ever seen, with 160 haul trucks and 150 ancillary heavy vehicles required.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,25415402-664,00.html
Massive mine threatens rain forest in Madagascar
Submitted by SHNS on Fri, 05/01/2009 - 16:48.
When bulldozers began clearing the forest for the biggest industrial project in the history of Madagascar, they left the felled trees on the ground for 48 hours to allow hundreds of traumatized lemurs to escape.
It didn't quite work. Eleven of the rare primates died from stress and lack of food, according to environmental experts working on the Canadian-led project.
It's just one example of the environmental challenges facing Sherritt International Corp of Canada as it tackles one of the biggest and most sensitive mining projects in the world: a massive $4.5 billion nickel mine in the middle of a pristine rain forest in a biodiversity hot spot.
The Ambatovy nickel project is already dogged by financial and political crises. Nickel prices have plummeted, and the project's capital costs have soared.
Madagascar has been consumed by political violence, with a new president taking power in a coup and deadly clashes continuing between protesters and security forces.
The new regime has made noises about a review of mining contracts and it ordered police to raid foreign miners to hunt for alleged mercenaries, although Sherritt has been unaffected so far.
The damage from the mine is already visible in the rain forests of Andasibe, just a few kilometers from one of Madagascar's most famous national parks, where Sherritt has torn a 165-foot-wide gash in a pristine forest to make room for its 136-mile slurry pipeline.
Even as Sherritt searches for financial help and political stability, the company must solve a series of daunting environmental problems, knowing that its actions are already under criticism from ecological activists in Madagascar and elsewhere.
Madagascar, the world's fourth-biggest island, is one of the most distinctive biological sites in the world. About 70 percent of its animals and 90 percent of its plants are endemic, found nowhere else in the world.
Sherritt's nickel mine -- adjacent to several national parks and reserves -- occupies a 3,310-acre footprint in the middle of a crucial biodiversity site, home to five endangered lemur species and many other rare plants and animals.
Local environmentalists are worried. "I'm very sad about this project," said Nirina Rabarison, president of an association of park guides in Andasibe, near the pipeline.
"It creates jobs, but it has destroyed a lot of forest. I don't want to think about it."
Rainer Dolch, coordinator of an environmental group called Mitsinjo that manages a nature reserve at Andasibe, said the mining project has not received enough scrutiny from independent scientists. Instead, the government is relying on data from Sherritt itself, he said.
There is already evidence of heavy silting in a local river as a result of erosion caused by the new pipeline, Dolch said.
"One has to ask why the government issued the environmental permits, if you look at it closely. There are so many things that can be negatively affected by the mine, and it's unclear how they can offset it," he said.
Sherritt's official goal is to produce "no net harm" and "no species loss" to Madagascar's forests and animal habitat. The company acknowledges that the biodiversity around the mine site is "highly sensitive." So the mining project is spending millions of dollars on a series of extraordinary environmental measures, ranging from "lemur bridges" (wooden structures above the roads and pipelines to allow the lemurs to cross safely) to the creation of "replacement forests" to offset the forests destroyed by the mine.
Sherritt and its partners have also agreed to preserve two tracts of original forest above the ore body, sacrificing substantial revenue to preserve samples of the unique habitat.
In one of its most innovative initiatives, the mine is trying to reduce illegal poaching by local villagers who often hunt lemurs as "bush meat." Sherritt plans to help the villagers to develop their own resource industries that will leave the wildlife intact.
A few kilometers from the main mining camp, Sherritt has set up a "Bio Camp" to monitor the project's impact on flora and fauna. The company uses a radio-monitoring system to keep track of hundreds of lemurs, ensuring that they are continuing to cross the pipeline and move safely around the region.
From their tents at the Bio Camp, researchers roam through the forests with tranquilizer-dart guns. When they spot a lemur in the treetops, they shoot it with the dart gun, then wait below with a net until the lemur falls into it. Then they bring the animal back to the camp for a battery of health tests, blood and tissue samples, measurements and monitoring devices, including microchips and radio collars.
At least 220 lemurs have been fitted with radio collars and microchips so far. The monitoring suggests they are able to cross the 165-foot pipeline corridor without any problems, according to project officials. Almost 40 of the lemurs have been moved to a national park to ensure their survival.
Sherritt announced in February that its estimated costs have ballooned to $4.52-billion from $3.4 billion, and it admitted that it lacked the capacity to finance its share of the project.
E-mail Geoffrey York at gyork(at)globeandmail.com
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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Tribals find a solution to water problem
G. Narasimha Rao
They use banana stems to make a ‘channel’ that runs down a slope to their hamlet
It’s Natural! Villagers of Similiguda in Dumbriguda mandal in Visakhapatnam district laid this ‘channel’, joining pieces of banana stem to bring water from atop a hill to their village. The channel runs for nearly 1.25 kilometres.
VISAKHAPATNAM: When there are problems around, which need an immediate solution and help is not forthcoming, people put their minds together and find a solution. Residents of a Girijan village showed their ingenuity and found a solution to their problem.
Similiguda in Dumbriguda mandal in the Visakha Agency area, with a population of 160, has only one water source, the village well, and it has gone almost dry. With rains not expected during summer, the villagers needed a water source sufficient to meet the needs of all villagers.
The able-bodied among them went scouting for a water source and found one, atop a nearby hill. But they had to divert the water to the village and they quickly found a solution. The stem of banana trees is the material they decided to use. For the botanists, the banana tree’s stem is a pseudo stem made up of fibre but would stay in shape for a few days.
Two or three able-bodied men from each of the 30 houses in the village house joined together to lay the “channel” of banana stem from the hill top to the village, a distance of about 1.2 km. The stem is cut longitudinally and the inner part is removed. Thus the villagers have half-circle “pipes” ready. Some dozens of them have been joined and the water started flowing into village, much to the relief of the villagers.
“Ingenuity of the villagers must be appreciated. They have found a solution and used the local material. It is also a good example of collective work”, said Sohan Hatangadi of Samata, a NGO. The “pipes” of banana stem “channel” have to be replaced every three or four days as they wilt quickly. Sometimes water is also getting contaminated as it comes down to the village. On Thursday the villagers submitted a memorandum to the Project Officer of ITDA,
Paderu to find a permanent solution to the water problem in their village.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/02/stories/2009050254430500.htm
Security guards boycott duty
Special Correspondent
ARAKU VALLEY: The 30 Girijan security guards working at AP Tourism Development Corporation’s tourist facilities in Visakha Agency area commenced a two-day boycott of duties on Thursday demanding the corporation to concede their demands.
The Girijan security guards have been engaged through a society which pays them the salary.
However, the security guards alleged that their monthly salary was not being paid in full. While Rs.3,900 should be paid to each security guard every month since October 2007, only Rs.2,100 was being paid.
Salary was also not being paid for the last two months and the security guards on duty at Borra Caves were without salary for four months.
Since the security guards were being outsourced, the Girijan security guards decided to form their own society and bid for the contract from the APTDC. But it was alleged that the tender was decided in favour of the present society without issuing a tender notice.
The Girijan security guards demanded the APTDC to pay full salary to them and that the payment should be through a bank.
The ESI and Employee Provident Fund facilities should be implemented and pay bill issued to every security guard.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050154200500.htm
Popularising organic farming
G. Narasimha Rao
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‘Seed festival’ is organised every year in Visakha Agency to promote and preserve traditional farming methods
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— Photo: C. V. Subrahmanyam
Old is gold: Women arranging old seeds at the festival at Anjoda, near Araku Valley in Visakhapatnam on Thursday.
ARAKU VALLEY: “Chemical fertilizers harm the land and us. People are falling sick after consuming the produce”, says 22-year-old farmer Golluri Lakshminarayana from Maalivalasa. “I have used two bags of hybrid seeds of paddy (given by the government). Instead of getting a yield of 40 bags, I got only five bags,” said middle-aged farmer Paangi Appalaswamy of Devuduvalasa.
Statements of these two farmers, both from Sovva panchayat of Dumbriguda mandal, show how strongly Girijan farmers believe in organic farming that has been handed over to them from generations. The two farmers are among some dozens of farmers who participated in the Paatha Vittanala Panduga (old seed festival) organised by NGO Sanjeevini and supported by two other NGOs Samata and Dhatri at Shanti Nagar, Anjoda, eight kilometres from here on Thursday.
The festival is being organised every year for the last three years in the Visakha Agency area to protect and preserve the traditional methods of agriculture, said P. Devullu of Sanjeevini.
The day also coincided with the annual day of the Balamitra school being run by Sanjeevini for Girijan children.
The celebrations included cultural programmes with the tribal youth playing drums and children singing traditional sons. This was was followed by Dhimsa dance.
The varieties of seed ranged from about 25 put up by Majji Somaraju of Sagara panchayat to 125 brought by Mr. Lakshminarayana and others from Maalivasala, the village which won first prize last time. Prem Patro Jany from Putsil in Koraput district of Orissa and other farmers brought about 35 varieties.
The Kolli Hills Agrobiodiversity Conservers’ Federation of Semmedu village of Kolli hills in Namakkal district in Tamil Nadu, supported by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, displayed 35 varieties of small and little millets.
http://www.hindu.com/2009/05/01/stories/2009050153730400.htm
Tribals to get 'pattas' for 4 lakh acres
2 May 2009, 0145 hrs IST, TNN
HYDERABAD: The AP High Court on Friday accorded permission to the state government to grant 'pattas' for 4 lakh acres to tribals and others
living in forest areas of the state in accordance with the provisions of the Recognition of Forest Rights Act, 2006. The division bench comprising Justice B Prakasa Rao and justice R Kantha Rao issued the interim order in a petition filed by retired forest officials J V Sharma and others who challenged the provisions of the Act.
The Act, which is facing a legal battle ever since its inception, is seeking to confer rights over forest land to the tribals and others who are in posession of those lands. Rights will be conferred to both individuals and community also. Under community rights, forest dwellers can now have grazing rights even in reserve forest areas. For non-tribals to get dwelling rights, they have to prove that they are living in the forest area for three generations or 75 years. For tribals, if they show proof of their existance just prior to 2005, it is sufficient.
The petitioners challenged this Act saying that it would destroy forests in the state. The state government opposed the petition and said the act was brought in to protect the forests. Advocate K Balagopal of the Human Rights Forum arguing for the cause of tribals told the court that this indeed is a progressive legislation which needs to be implemented. The court had earlier stayed the implementation of the act and directed the state government to process the claims for such rights and come to it for granting of pattas.
The government later came forward with 1.14 lakh claims, both individual and community claims, covering 4 lakh acres. The high court permitted the state government to grant pattas in all these claims with a condition that this would be subject to the final outcome of this writ petition.
N Madhusudan, a forest rights activist told TOI that all the tribal groups in the state welcomed the HC order which came as a big relief for the tribals who have been facing a threat of eviction despite living in the forests for centuries together. This Act is the first of its kind in the Indian history which recognised the dwelling rights in the forest areas.
This Act which transfers the job of forest governance to the gram sabhas in forest villages will go a long way in protecting both forests and wild life
attached to it because forests and tribals are inseparable and have been living in harmony with each other, Madhu said. The state government has to do a lot more in respect of community rights and the process of considering claims should be an ongoing process, he added.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Tribals-to-get-pattas-for-4-lakh-acres/articleshow/4473772.cms
NGO network to curb child labour urged
2 May 2009, 0439 hrs IST, TNN
JAIPUR: Social organizations working for the upliftment of child labour in India should be interlinked to form networking that is necessary to
eradicate the menace of child labour, said Abinav Sharma, high court lawyer and a social activist. He was speaking at a seminar on Awareness and Sensitization Programme on Child Rights and Child Labour organized by Satya an NGO Social Networking Management and Research held at press club on Friday.
Every year, hundreds of children below 14 years are rescued from various states. Many of them who are rescued in the industrialised states belong to Rajasthan and face the problem of rehabilitation. Hence they are deprived of the benefits of the various government schemes meant for them due to poor networking between NGOs.
Nearly, 50 children of various age groups, rescued from Moradabad brassware industry, recounted at the seminar of how they were forced to work as bonded labour. Many of them said that they were subjected to abuse at the workplace and talked about health hazards related to their work.
Badrinarayan Sharma, additional district project officer, Jaipur talked of several government schemes under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. He said, "In the urban slums we are running programmes like bridge course which offers free education along with meals twice a day for the rescued children."
Speakers on the occasion gave several suggestions to the government on how to tackle the problem of child labour that has adversely affected the economy and the society. Sanjay Agarwal, chairman of Satya proposed a model in which rescued children would be asked to persuade other child labourers engaged in commercial activities to leave it.. "District Bonded Vigilance Committee should be formed to monitor the child labour activities in the state. The committee members should be from judiciary, police and people working for this cause," added Sharma.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Jaipur/NGO-network-to-curb-child-labour-urged/articleshow/4473791.cms
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