Ghost of Asbestos mining that haunts Jharkhand

Ghost of Asbestos mining that haunts Jharkhand

Subject: Geography

Section: Minerals and Energy Resources

Context: Many elderly people in Roro village of Jharkhand have breathing disorders and other lung-related ailments. It was alleged that these are the after-effects of asbestos mining, which was stopped in the region almost four decades ago.

Concept:

• Roro village (mostly inhabited by the Ho Tribal community) is at the foothills of a mountain in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Majority of the villagers are dependent on the minor forest produce for their livelihood.
• Asbestos mining in the region stopped in 1983 – nearly four decades ago.
• Then, in 1986, the Indian government banned giving new mining leases for asbestos mining and in 1993 it stopped the renewal of existing mining leases. The ban on asbestos mining was done in phases between 1986 to 1993.
• Asbestos mining is now banned in India but experts note that authorities failed to ensure scientific reclamation of the mines, leaving the local communities exposed to it.
• Unaware of the health hazards, several generations of Roro’s residents have been exposed to the asbestos waste lying near the village. Many struggle to breathe and there are also cases of eye disorders and cancer in the village.

Asbestos and Human Health:

• Asbestos is a silicate compound found naturally in the environment and the mining operations used to extract it from the hills which had a rich source of this compound.
• Asbestos fibres are cancer-causing (carcinogenic). According to medical studies, once inhaled, the asbestos fibres remain on lung tissues for a longer period leading to scarring and inflammation which ultimately leads to difficulty in breathing.
• According to WHO, “All types of asbestos cause lung cancer, mesothelioma, cancer of the larynx and ovary, and asbestosis (fibrosis of the lungs) among the exposed workers and communities.
• Asbestosis is a notified disease under The Mines Act, 1952. In asbestosis, the disease manifestation can take 20-30 years.
• Exposure to asbestos occurs through inhalation of fibres in air in the working environment, ambient air in the vicinity of point sources such as factories handling asbestos, or indoor air in housing and buildings containing friable (crumbly) asbestos materials. WHO claims that around 125 million people around the world are exposed to asbestos in their workplace.

Status of Asbestosis’ use in India:

• Many countries have banned its extraction and usage. However, India still imports the compound and uses it in the automobile sector, talcum powder, construction and other sectors.
• According to government data, in 2019-20, India imported 361,164 tonnes of asbestos. The main imports were through Russia (85 percent), Brazil, Kazakhstan and Hungary (three percent each), besides imports from Poland and South Africa. India is also said to be the largest importer of asbestos in the world. However, the government records claim that the imports have declined in the past few years.

Legal Battle:

• In 1988, under the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 1988, GOI talked about restoring and reclaiming the mined areas for sustainable development. Despite the laws being there, several miners continue to flout the reclamation and restoration laws.
• The Supreme Court of India in a landmark judgement in 1995 had asked the asbestos industries to pay compensation for the health hazards to their workers besides ordering asbestos industries to keep health records of their employees for 40 years since their recruitment and up to 15 years after they leave the company besides their accurate diagnosis.
• In 2019, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked the Jharkhand government to ensure scientific removal of the dumped asbestos from the Roro Village. The state government vowed to use the District Mineral Foundation (DMF) funds and other resources to mitigate the effects of exposure to asbestos to the village. But, in 2022, the dumped waste continues to lie in the open, and the local tribal community is exposed to it.