By HH Mohrmen
Of late citizens of the state particularly those who are deeply concerned with the rampant destruction of the environment are unenthusiastic with the little that the state government and its agencies do to protect Mother Nature. Editorials, articles and letter to the editors only reflect this sentiment that people have against this inhuman act of destroying the environment. Even celebration of World Environment Day was considered a farce. But one mighty stroke of a pen can change all that perception that nature warriors have against the government and its agencies.
The heading of this article was borrowed from the slogan of the “Save the Caves and Rivers of Jaintia Hills” Facebook page which was created by an environment activist Arwat Challam. For few years now this page has been the platform for debate on the drastic impact of mining in both the districts of Jaintia hills. Mining in Jaintia hills can be categorized into three categories, the old unscientific rat-hole mining, limestone mining in Nongtalang and of course mining by the cement companies in the Narpuh and Nongkhlieh elaka. Unscientific rat-hole coal mining has seen a change in the way coal is mined with the introduction of cranes whereby the earth is cut in a manner that the cranes ferrying up coal from the mines is facilitated. This process is called box cutting. Box cutting is only an improvement on how to reach the coal deposits quicker. It has nothing to do with the protection of the environment as acid mine drainage keeps flowing untreated to the rivers.
But the mining that has taken a huge toll on the environment is the limestone mining in Nongtalang elaka area. Anybody who is familiar with the region will be shocked to see the change in the landscape of the area which in a matter of two years has taken a toll on the green cover of Nongtalang. All the forests on the highway to Dawki have been cleared to mine the much sought after limestone; limestone is mined with total disregard to the country’s mining laws and forest conservation act. Land owners think that since they own the land they can do anything with it. This mentality that individuals can do whatever they like with the land they own is an example of the savage tribal mentality that we still have. In Nongtalang the land owners (zamindar) thinks that they own even the streams and rivers which flow from their land. One has not heard if they even claim ownership of the birds and animals and even the air in the forest. They might some day if they have the means and the technique to gauge and commodify the same.
The way mining is carried out in the areas looks as if the mine owners are in great haste lest the limestone vanishes. They seem hell-bent on exhausting the reserves as quickly as they can. Every kind of excavator is put to use and explosion by dynamite is used randomly twenty four hours a day without any care or concern for others. Farmers, wood collectors and wild vegetables gatherers feel unsafe to venture into the adjacent forests as there is imminent threat from explosion detonated by the miners any time without any warning.
Mining of limestone in the area has carried on without any environmental clearance from the concerned authorities and with total disregard even to the ruling of the Supreme Court. The only paper that the miners have is permission from the Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.
Unlike coal, limestone was categorized by the government depending on its end use. In the Narpuh area where limestone is used for cement production, it is being categorized as major mineral, but in Nongtalang and maybe in other areas too, because the miners claim that it is being used for construction purposes, limestone is considered a minor mineral and royalty is being collected by the forest department, whereas in cases where it is considered a major mineral, royalty is collected by the Directorate of Mineral Resources. When the mineral is being exported to another country can the state still consider it to be a minor mineral? Last time the miners produced a letter from the importers in Bangladesh which claimed that limestone exported from Nongtalang is used in Bangladesh for construction purposes and not for cement production. This is one lacuna that the state government needs to address immediately.
Rivers and creeks have disappeared and even the source of water supply to the village is not spared. One of the sources is now covered with silt and once it rains the water supplied to the village turns muddy. Nongtalang used to be a village with abundant water supply, villagers do not have water tanks in their houses. They did not need one since the water from the public tap flows unceasingly, but if the mining continues the villages located downstream of the mining areas will face serious water problems.
Limestone mining has also affected the farmers as water supply to their betel leaf plantation is disrupted. Betel leaf plantation showcases the War Jaintia people’s unique drip irrigation technique; this is also going to be affected. But the major problem is with betel nut which is a seasonal crop and is harvested in the winter, but which is consumed throughout the year. How does one get kwai during summer when it is harvested only in winter? The kwai skop that people consume during summer is usually soaked in the perennial streams and rivers and now in concrete tanks. In both cases, it needs continuous flow of fresh clean water so that the betel nut does not rot. Now the farmers are beginning to suffers because the water that flows upstream from the mining area is not clean anymore. If mining continues it will certainly have an impact on the farmers because the betel leaf and betel nut plantations are located in the southern slopes of Nongtalang village while the mining area is towards the north of the village.
Agitation against this indiscriminate exploitation of nature was started by a youth organization of Nongtalang known as the Tylli-i-hun ka Nongtalang Organisation (TIHKNO). The organization and particularly the leaders were pressured to slow down till a locality in the village which was part of the TIHKNO took the initiative to move from pillar to post to stop this illegal mining. Last Monday a complaint was made to the Deputy Commissioner and an FIR was filed at the Office of the Superintendent of West Jaintia Hills by the Secretary and the Chairman of the Banan Locality and the same was emailed to the Union Minister of Environment and Forest.
The day after, the SP deputed his officers to conduct an inquiry and the following day the DC and the SP visited the mining area for an on the spot inquiry. It was obvious that the DC P.S. Dkhar was very concerned with the developments in Nongtalang for he not only visited the area personally but it was also evident that he had burnt the midnight oil to come out with the order the very next day banning mining of limestone in the area and promulgation of section 144 CrPc in the Amtapoh Nongtalang area. One only needs to read the order to see how the DC’s heart too was pained to see the destruction. This is the first green order in Jaintia hills and perhaps in the state which is in favour of protecting the environment. This is an order that empathises with Mother Nature and now that mining has stopped in Nongtalang, will the birds and the animals come back to what is left of their home?