Niyamgiri Hills — Home for Dongria Kondh Tribes, or Nature-destroying Bauxite Company?

The Niyamgiri Hills, rising to a height of more than four thousand feet, form a mountain range in the Eastern Indian state of Orissa and are home to Dongria Kondh tribe.

Source: OneWorld South Asia Home

The hilltop is considered sacred by the tribes as they believe that Niyam Raja (literally, the King of Law), or the Universal Lawgiver, resides there. Rising to a height of more than four thousand feet, the hills are the source of two rivers, namely Vamshadhara and Nagavali. The self reliant tribes share their space with wild animals and grow paddy, pulses and fruit trees. This sylvan land is now the site of clash between the indigenous population and a British mining company called Vedanta Resources. The mining company has acquired over 1,000 acres of land through questionable means. Its plan is to mine over 1 million tonnes of bauxite a year from here. The mining of bauxite will degrade the soil and make it uncultivable. Bauxite is an essential element of the eco-system, as it helps the soil hold water and helps feed the perennial river streams that irrigate large areas of farmland in southeast Orissa. Once the bauxite is gone, the streams will go dry too. The massive deforestation on the slopes that the mining may demand will destroy the biodiversity-rich rain forests.

Finding the local population gullible, the unscrupulous Company neither paid them adequate compensation nor took care of protecting the environment. The ash spewed out by the alumina refinery has affected the vegetation as well as the health of people living there, thus driving some of the local people into armed rebellion. Such armed resistance is met by police with its own brand of brutality and shootings under the excuse of Maoist threat. Groups such as Survival International, Amnesty and ActionAid have charged the company with exploiting natural resources and violating the rights of indigenous population. Against this backdrop of protests by the local population and environmentalists, the Company’s high-profile investors, including the Pension Fund of Norway and the Church of England have recently given up their shareholding in Vedanta. The British government has also condemned the Company’s behavior.

I was touched by the following video. It left me wondering what right we have to destroy such a beauty, such ancient culture and such innocence.

Reference:

http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=388836

http://www.fragranceoftheeast.org/

http://www.banktrack.org/show/dodgydeals/bauxite_mine_niyamgiri_hills

http://southasia.oneworld.net/opinioncomment/the-worth-of-nature (Excellent reference)