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Sukinda Valley, Orissa, India
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Site Description
Chromite, a heavy metal used in the production of chrome metal and chromium, was discovered in India, in 1949. Today, about 97 percent of the nation’s deposits are found in the mineral-rich earth of the Sukinda Valley, Jajpur district, and it is the home to one of the largest open cast chrome ore mines in the world.
As a result, mine dumps are located throughout the area and even on the banks of the Brahmani River. Over 30 million tons of overburden (the rock waste left behind after the ore is removed) has been discarded. The dangerous combination of these geographical and industrial features in an area prone to flooding has resulted in the significant contamination of waterways by hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen.
About 7,000 people are directly employed by chromite mining operations in the region, while the population that depends on the Bhramini River for water and sustenance is around 2.6 million. A study published in the Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology (subscription only) found 70% of the surface water sampled and 60% of drinking water sampled contained hexavalent chromium concentrations over 0.1 mg/liter. The World Health Organization guideline value for chromium in drinking water is 0.05 mg/liter. The United States EPA and IARC classify hexavalent chromium as a carcinogen, and chronic doses over this recommendation may result in tumors of the respiratory system. Long-term exposure via inhalation and ingestion may also result in perforations and ulcerations of the septum, decreased pulmonary function, and gastrointestinal and neurological disorders. Skin exposure causes irritation, sensitivity, and ulceration.
Health problems are compounded by poverty. Orissa is the second poorest state in India. Fifty-two percent of Jajpur’s citizens live below the poverty line. Orissa also has a high percentage of tribal and scheduled caste people. These socially disadvantaged people are marginalized geographically, culturally, politically, and economically. In the case of the Sukinda Valley, this marginalization results in people living in contaminated areas who feel they have no political or social power to improve living conditions.
Chromium enters the water in a variety of ways. Mine wastewater is
released directly into streams and rivers. Overburden is piled in mine
dumps and rainwater washes the hexavalent chromium into water sources.
Walls of dumps that are located directly next to rivers can
collapse and dump chromium-contaminated slag directly into the waterway.
Tainted water is used for drinking, bathing, and irrigation. Hexavalent
chromium is also dangerous when released into the air as dust and inhaled.
This
release can occur via chromite mining, processing, and handling
operations.
Although the mining industry has taken steps to reduce the level of contamination by installing some hexavalent chromium treatment plants, state audits from Orissa report failures to meet agency regulations and protect the environment. A report by the Ministry of Environment and Forests found an “enormous volume of water containing chromium in hexavalent form was being discharged into adjacent water bodies” and that “treatment facilities are very limited.” Of the few local non-government organizations in the area, none have sufficient resources to fully resolve this public health disaster. One group, the Center for Action, Research and Training, is conducting a study on the socio-economic effects of the mines on the people of the Sukinda Valley, while Greenpeace India is documenting testimonies by Sukinda Valley community members.
— Emily Marisa Scherer
