DOMIASIAT URANIUM MINING UNDERMINES TRIBAL PEOPLEThe uranium project in Meghalaya’s Domiasiat spells doom for the Khasi tribe,

reports TARUN KANTI BOSE

oing against the wishes the Khasi tribes opposing the Domiasiat uranium project, Meghalaya chief minister DD Lapang follows the previous Congress-led government for going ahead with the uranium mining project. About 130 kms from Shillong, Domiasiat is a small

hamlet in West Khasi Hills District of Meghalaya. The place, once untouched and pristine, inaccessible to the outsiders, is now much talked about for its largest and richest uranium deposit in the country. The local Khasi tribe’s opposition has so for prevented Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) from the developing a commercial uranium mine at Domiasiat.

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The Khasi district council says it owns the land and the state government cannot acquire it. The district council has granted permission to UCIL to “conduct exploratory surveys” but not to undertake commercial mining. A senior UCIL official said, “Every time we turn up at the uranium mines, the tribal people chase us with bows and arrows and swords. “They call us the agents of death and threaten to kill us if we try to mine uranium.”

Khasi tribe as anthropologists believe as the remnants of the first Mongolian overflow from the traditional cradle of the Indo-Chinese race, which established themselves in their present habitat at a very remote period. Khasi’s language is the only surviving dialect of the Mon Khmer group of languages. There is a distinct similarity between the Khasi language and the Mon Khmer- Palaung dialects prevailing in Burma and Indo- China. Basically, the Khasis are very akin to the Indo-Chinese tribes but are by no means pure Mongoloid.

On 18th September 2009, Khasi Students Union (KSU) volunteers burnt effigies of Chief Minister D.D. Lapang after talks with the Meghalaya Government on pre-development projects in uranium mining sites failed to make any headway. KSU also burnt the effigies of cabinet ministers and officials of the UCIL during its first phase of agitation that continued till September 23.

The KSU had decided to go for the agitation in protest against the cabinet’s decision to allow the UCIL to start pre-development projects in the uranium mining sites in West Khasi Hills. Chief minister D.D. Lapang had deputed deputy chief minister Bindo Lanong, who is also the mining minister, to discuss the pre-development projects with the KSU.

The KSU said if the UCIL focused on pre-development activities only in the uranium mining sites of the district, it would indicate that its intention was to start mining at the earliest. KSU president Samuel Jyrwa said, “We wanted the pre-development projects to be beneficial to the entire district and not just the uranium mining sites. If these projects are undertaken in uranium mining sites, the government will encourage uranium mining to start at any time, the union contended. The KSU wants to make sure that the pre-development projects should not be linked to actual uranium mining.

DOMIASIAT URANIUM MINING SITE The Atomic Mineral Directorate (AMDER) first identified Domiasiat as a potential area for mining in 1972 after a survey for exploration and research. It conducted another survey at Domiasiat in 1986, and drilling began in 1992. The drilling lasted for another four years, till1996, when was stopped due to public outrage. But when the joint team of AMDER and UCIL abandoned the location, the villagers allege that over a thousand kilograms of ore was left inside a small hut. The Bamboo hut does not exist now; the local people say that the ore melted in the course of time. S Dkhar, Headman, Domiasiat village, said, “In recent years, many villagers have been suffering from mysterious diseases that had not been seen earlier. The number of cases of miscarriage too has increased.

In a letter dated 18th March 2004, to the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dino D G Dympep, the Secretary General of the MPHRC, with KSU President Samuel Jyrwa and HESPO General Secretary S S Syiem, wrote that the villagers spoke about various health problems, above all congenital deformity, something the visitors could also see for themselves. They further claimed that there were no traces of the development facilities that UCIL had said at one time or another would come along with the mining. Instead, they asserted, the mining project would lead to a large-scale influx of outsiders, which would pose a “threat to our culture, customs and traditions”. They concluded by stating, “We as organisations which have been opposing the uranium mining project from the very beginning of its inception. Now after visiting Jadugoda and seeing the reality behind we are more convinced of our previous stand and we will not part even an inch of our ancestral land to the foreigners who we consider that they are our enemies.” The last sentence marks an important discursive twist, portraying the UCIL as a foreign impostor. Such a sentiment is commonly expressed by protesters, who portray the uranium mining issue in terms of “us” (the Khasi people) versus the “foreigner”, the outside exploiter represented by the Indian state. The Khasis will stand to suffer, while the benefits will go elsewhere. This trope is central to the autonomy discourse in north-east India more generally, commonly evoked in debates about extraction of the region’s natural wealth. While proponents of uranium mining stress that it will bring development to the state, the opponents frame it as yet another example of neocolonial exploitation and violation of indigenous rights.

In October 2004, UCIL’s mining adviser CF Lyngdoh resigned following a threat from suspected militants. As reported in a local daily on October 18 that two armed militants came to his house on September 15, 2004 and asked him to resign by October I he had to resign. Prominent Meghalaya NGOs, like the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Hynniewtrep Environment Status Preservation Organisation (HESPO) and the Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC) whose representatives recently visited uranium mines at Jadugoda in Jharkhand, have alleged that mining of the yellow mineral has resulted in widespread health hazards. Prominent Meghalaya NGOs, like the Khasi Students’ Union (KSU), Hynniewtrep Environment Status Preservation Organisation (HESPO) and the Meghalaya People’s Human Rights Council (MPHRC) whose representatives recently visited uranium mines at Jadugoda in Jharkhand, have alleged that mining of the yellow mineral has resulted in widespread health hazards in the vicinity of the mines have expressed strong opposition to the proposed mining of uranium at Domiasiat in the West Khasi Hills District of the State due to the apprehension of radiation-related health hazards.

TRIBALS FACING DISPLACEMENT On June 12, 2007, majority of the people participating in the ‘public hearing’ at Nongbah Jynrin, West Khasi Hills opposed the uranium mining project. Around 700 people attended the 3-hour long ‘public hearing’ conducted by the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB). Quoting Freeman Kharlyngdoh, Deputy Commissioner, West Khasi Hills, Shillong Times dated 13th June 2007 reported, "Majority of the people from the area opposed the proposed uranium mining on the ground of health hazard while those who supported the project constitute only 25 percent," Added, Kharlyngdoh, “Villagers from the vicinity of the project site were in support of uranium mining. Villagers living adjoining to Nongbah Jynrin, like Umdohlun, Wahkaji and Phlangdiloin were vociferous in their opposition. Organisations Seng Kynthei Phlangdiloin, Langrin Youth Welfare Association (LYWA) and Warsanlyngdoh-Nobosoh-phoh Youth Awakening Organisation (WNYAO) had launched massive campaign against the project.”

However, one of the main figures against uranium mining is veteran politician and President of Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) Hopingstone Lyngdoh, whose aversion to the use of nuclear energy goes all the way back to the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. As he learned about this terrible event, he realised the intimate link between nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Being a resolute opponent of nuclear weapons, he became equally critical of the use of nuclear energy. Hence his opposition to the uranium mining project in Meghalaya.

Elaborating on the uranium mining in Meghalaya, Hopingstone Lyngdoh said, “The history of uranium in Meghalaya goes back to the 1950s when the atomic energy mining division came for the first preliminary explorations. New explorations followed in the 1970s and 1980s, eventually leading to the discovery of uranium deposits in a number of different places. The village of Domiasiat in the West Khasi Hills was one of these sites, and it was close to the place where the Atomic Minerals Directorate finally started explorative mining and processing of the ore to produce the so-called yellowcake. Lyngdoh added, “I had opposed these activities from the very beginning as a Member of Legislative Assembly and the KHADC, the latter being a body put in place after the Indian independence to ensure tribal self-rule in the hill areas of north-east India. I started receiving information from people in and around Domiasiat about fish that were dying in the nearby rivers and of dogs and cows that were going mad. Strange diseases had also begun to emerge. Then, I started mobilising people against the uranium mining on a larger scale.”

Due to vigorous protests, which Lyngdoh managed to organise, the exploratory mining was stopped and all operations in Domiasiat were shut down in the 1990s. Lyngdoh said, “650 tonnes of contaminated tailings (mining waste) had been left unprotected at the mining site.” Eventually, the Directorate was made to put the waste back in the pits and seal them with concrete. But by then it was already clear that the atomic energy authorities were determined to pursue their mining plans. As Lyngdoh explained, “I and the others active in the campaign had been under strong pressure ever since to alter our stand and allow the mining to proceed. But I am strongly convinced that the uranium project is going to wreak havoc on the people. Over the years I have been in contact with other organisations around the world conducting a similar struggle against nuclear energy/weapons in all forms.”

He mentioned the terrible fate of the Navajo Indians in the US, whose lands had been devastated by prolonged uranium mining, leading to deaths and enormous suffering for the people, who often had no option but to continue living in a contaminated environment. Preventing the same thing from happening in Meghalaya was another major reason for Lyngdoh to oppose uranium mining.

“While the threat of uranium mining has been hanging over Meghalaya for a long time, the Central Government and the Atomic Energy lobby appeared more determined than before to go ahead with the project,” said Lyngdoh. Now, he added, “It is a matter of convincing people of the benefits of mining, and this is done to a large extent with the help of bribes. Large sums had been handed out to landowners and people in decision-making positions.

However, Lyngdoh mentioned the study tours arranged by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for people to visit the mining sites at Jadugoda (supposedly involving monetary “gifts”). Major projects commonly involve illicit flows of money, but whether kickbacks have been paid in this case is of course hard to tell. Be that as it may, the nuclear lobby has clearly had some success in convincing certain key groups of the benefits of the project. This has not, however, seemed to dampen Lyngdoh’s commitment to prevent uranium mining, no matter what.

The opposition to uranium mining draws on several registers of protest. On the one hand, it is a matter of a particularly hazardous form of mining that poses great risks for human health and environmental contamination. On the other hand, it is a matter of ethnic sovereignty, of keeping land and resources in the hands of the community, of protecting livelihoods and customs endangered by the foreseen influx of outsiders. Consequently, for some it is a matter of choosing a different type of development or, as a lady protester put it, “We do not want the development that comes from uranium”.

The UCIL has proposed to acquire 10 square kilometres of land in uranium deposit areas of Domiasiat in Hima Langrin of the West Khasi Hills district. About 30,000 people face displacement, though UCIL has promised to provide 85 percent of the jobs to the villagers. UCIL has decided to“properly” acquire the land and unleash “legalised destruction”. It is said that Domiasiat’s uranium deposit is the “largest, richest, near surface and low- cost sandstone type uranium deposit discovered in India so far”. The ores are spread over a 10 square kilometres are in deposits varying from 8 to 47 metres from the surface. The deposit falls in a very high rainfall area and is almost inaccessible for half the year. The ore body is spread over a large area in two distinct blocks with the deposits just 45-50 meters below the surface. UCIL plans to have two large opencast mines in the area.

Uranium mining, which would wreak havoc on their land, environment and livelihood and to stop the assault, the tribals have written to the Prime Minister to intervene in the matter. The Department of Atomic Energy has been asked to explain, and in its letter of reply, had the cheek to say that mining will only help in removing the uranium, which is the source of the radiation in this area!

Within the radius of 15 kilometres of Domiasiat, seven families belonging to Lyngdoh Langrin clan live in an ecological space where they endure the blood- sucking leeches, which cling to their body every now and then. They rub a mixture of lime, tobacco and salt, which they always carry to avoid these creepy creatures. About 23 villages from all directions surround Domiasiat with a population of about 5000 people. The region is backward with no proper basic facilities like drinking water, sanitation and electricity. The transport and communications network are yet to be developed. A curious explorer would have to trek through a rugged topography for an

hour and half to reach there. What is even more challenging is riding rooftops of a bi-weekly bus through an unpaved road to reach Wahkaji, which is closest village to Domiasiat.

“We cannot allow UCIL to start uranium mining overlooking the health hazards that can arise due to the harmful radiation, “asserts Dino D G Dympep, the secretary general of the Meghalaya People’s Human Right Council (MPHRC).The MPHRC has also asked the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, which owns the community land, to withdraw the ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) given to UCIL to undertake survey and exploration of the uranium deposit in the West Khasi Hills.

PEOPLE RIDING ROOFTOP OF A BI-WEEKLY BUS TO REACH DOMIASIAT

David Langwi, Chief Executive Member of the District Council, clarified, “UCIL was given the green signal to conduct survey and exploration activities, in a bid to know more about the uranium deposit in the region. “But no way does it mean that UCIL has been granted permission to start commercial uranium mining at Domiasiat.” When asked about the latest initiative of UCIL to carry out mining, he replies, “Our administration is “not against” mining but was more concerned that it must not be at the expense of the health of the people and the sensitive environment of the Khasi Hills.”

Uranium, first isolated by the German scientist Martin Klaproth, is the heaviest naturally occurring element, with an atomic weight of 238.0298 (1) gram-mole. It is solid at 298 k, melts at 113.3 degree Celsius and boils at 3818 degree Celsius. Uranium is found in different isotope forms, all of which naturally emit lethal radioactive rays that can spread up to several kilometers; the element is used as a nuclear fuel, in breeder reactor, and to produce electricity. Uranium radiation leaking out from nuclear facilities and mining sites causes serious and long-term health hazards. It is also a carcinogen, and its compound can inflict damages to kidney, lungs and skin.

Threatened by the radiation, scores of families have moved off from Domiasiat, which now is home to only 15 poor families; the migrating families have settled in nearby villages like Allawarng and Pandeng Kuboit. Pius Lyngdoh, who recently shifted from Domiasiat to Pandeng Kuboit, puts it aptly, “We were told by many people coming from the town that our village is no longer a good place to live in. There is the danger of uranium in the village.”

The local MLA and President of HSPDP, Hopingstone Lyngdoh said, “The surrounding areas of Domiasiat have been witnessing an increase in the number of cancer patients in the recent years.” The emission of radioactive uranium is posing a serious threat to the lives of hundreds of Khasi tribals in the State. The MLA has been regularly raising the issue in the Legislative Assembly. The Regional Director of Atomic Mineral Directorate for Exploration and Research under the Department of Atomic Energy, S Q Hoda, however, dubbed the protests as politically motivated. He said that if proper precautionary measures are adopted, uranium could be mined without causing health hazards.

The local bodies, however, are determined not to allow the mining. Many of them are apprehensive about the assurances from the government and UCIL. “How can you believe their assurances? What have we seen in the last six decades in North East India?”, asked Shillong-based environmental activist Banteilut R L Nongbri, “We have seen all the negative impacts of coal mining in the Jaintia Hills in Meghalaya. It has adversely affected the locality’s water bodies, land and air. At least 50,000 people have been affected in the Jaintia Hills. Assurances and promises were given to the inhabitants of Jaintia Hills too, but that never materialised. So we just do not want another repetition,” added Nongbri, who represents the Peoples Movement Against Uranium Mining, an apex body of social action groups in Meghalaya. In fact, the Geological Survey of India had conducted a survey in 1998 and identified over 20 other places in Meghalaya as prospective uranium sources; they include Wahkyn, Phlangdilion, Mawkyrwat, Tyrnai, Mawsynram, Phlangsynnei, Cherrapunjee, Tyrsad, Mawlainget, Mukhla, Lum Margai, Muphlang, Anek, Rengi Nala, Rongmalgiri, Dasol Nala, Darranggiri, Resubelpara, Gitangiri, Nongchrem and Gomaghat. The uranium deposits located in West and East Khasi Hills districts confirm that Meghalaya has emerged as one

of the most uranium-rich States in the country. Moreover, UCIL sees Domiasiat as the next important mining destination after Jadugoda.

However, during the initial surveying of the area around Domiasiat, UCIL estimated it had about 10,000 tonnes of uranium, which has also been identified as the largest, richest, “near-surface” and sandstone-type mining area. As seen from the experience at Jadugoda, these deposits will eventually be depleted as well. As far as the development that UCIL has promised in terms of roads, hospitals, dispensaries, and schools history shows there was not much development for the people of Jharkhand, especially the adivasis and dalits. The mine might provide jobs for the people but these would only be short-lived for when the deposits deplete the people will only be left unemployed again. The method of reprocessing nuclear reactor wastes is considered to be safer than wastes from fossil fuels since there is no emission of carbon dioxide. The UCIL in disposing of nuclear wastes have been irresponsible not to cover tailing pools and allowing waste to seep through drains. These pools have been easily accessible to villagers and cattle and the water that is contaminated through drains is used to irrigate rice fields. Along with these UCIL is characterised for not using safe methods of transportation, endowing workers with proper uniform or any attempt to warn surrounding villagers of the hazards associated with the mine and the nuclear wastes. There is no guarantee that UCIL will not repeat its lackadaisical ways and would the mining of Uranium for generating the small percentage of electricity demand be worth the risk of putting Domiasiat’s 23 surrounding villages at stake.

Dino Dympep said, “We do not want Jadugoda to be repeated here. I have seen in Jadugoda how the unsafe mining of uranium resulted in excessive radiation leading to genetic mutation and slow death. The people are still suffering there. In Meghalaya, protest has been brewing up against the UCIL’s mining project. UCIL has denied the right to information. Moreover, no attempt has been made by UCIL to protect the lives of the people and the environment of the area.”

J Syiemlieh, a senior doctor at Shillong Civil Hospital affirmed that there has been an increase in the number of cancer patients in the State, but denied that it was due to radiation. “Mostly the habits of the local people like chewing betel nut, consuming local alcohol, and smoking, are responsible for the disease,” said the doctor. She however called for a thorough medial study into the causes of cancer in the State. Kishore Kirat, a Shillong-based journalist, who had toured Domiasiat extensively, echoes her concern. He proposes a health survey in the entire area so that apprehensions could be dealt with appropriately. “The people of Domiasiat are too poor, illiterate and not really health conscious. A health survey will be of tremendous help to them,” said Kishore.

But the fact remains that uranium is a dangerous element, and if the mining process at Domiasiat is undertaken without abiding by safety standards, it will wreak havoc in the villagers’ lives as it happened in Jadugoda.