In parched Bundelkhand, chasing elusive diamonds and sustenance

Subject :Geography

Section: Economic geography

Manki village, Madhya Pradesh:

It is a tribal village in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhatarpur district, a part of the draught prone Bundelkhand region.
It is situated at a distance of barely two kilometres from Nainagiri, a Jain pilgrimage site.
It is mainly home to the Sour tribe.
The tribal region of Bundelkhand in M.P. is comprising of Sagar, Tikamgarh, Chhatarpur, Panna, Damoh, and Datia districts.

Dimond mining in Sagouriyavillege of M.P.:

Sagouriya is a village 40 km away from Manki in Buxwaha tehsil.
Sagouriya is deep inside a dense forest.
It’s one of the 15 villages‘adopted’ by the international mining giant Rio Tinto, which was granted a prospecting license in 2004.
Claiming there were 34 million carat diamonds worth approximately ₹25,000 crore, the company operated till 2016, it ‘adopted’ villages, including Sagouriya, enabling readily available water, modern agricultural techniques, skill training for women and youth, and health and educational facilities.
The State government in 2019 allotted the Bunder diamond mines project to Essel Mining, which is still waiting the environmental clearances.

Diamonds and water:

Bundelkhand’s other diamond mining region is Panna district.
The Ken river, a tributary of the Yamuna, flows through the Panna Tiger Reserve.
The Centre announced linking it with another of the Yamuna’s tributaries, the Betwa river.
As per the government, if Ken-Betwa linking project came about, it would solve Bundelkhand’s water crisis as it will provide annual irrigation to 10.62 lakh hectares, drinking water supply to a population of about 62 lakh, and also generate 103 MW of hydropower and 27 MW solar power.
Besides Bundelkhand, it would also benefit parts of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

List of diamond mines in India: