Our farms have become toxic. Some of the fields have been transformed into quagmire. Our livelihood has been destroyed. Children are the worst-hit and are often ill," Amarwati told IANS.
The effect of pollution from the mine is visible in villages within a 15-km radius of the mine where Baiga and Gond tribes are major inhabitants. But 10 villages like Chhinditola, Borkedha, Suji and Nayatola that are situated close to the plant, bear the maximum brunt.
Dharam Singh, 50, lives in Chhinditola village. The blisters on his body have been caused by the acidic waste discharged by the plant.
"The water that we drink, the air that we breathe are highly polluted. Our fields have turned barren. Farm productivity is getting reduced year by year. We contacted officials of the HCL as well as the district administration. But the authorities haven't taken any heed," Dharam Singh told IANS.
Mounds of white and yellow sand have formed at places where HCL dumps the waste.
HCL chief manager S.K. Verma sought to downplay the damage to the environment caused by the copper mine. He agreed there had been some pollution due to the mining and the discharge of waste, but claimed this is not very serious and has not affected the people's lives.
"Whenever a factory or plant is set up, it causes some pollution. But we always try to minimise the damage to the environment. Whenever we receive complaints from the people, we take action immediately," Verma told IANS, adding that the company has initiated a number of measures for the welfare of the people, including the supply of clean water through tankers.
Asked why water was being supplied through tankers if the locally available water wasn't contaminated, he said this was being done on people's demand. He also said HCL has set up a mobile clinic for the affected people, where free treatment and medicines are provided.
Noting that HCL would soon begin underground mining, Verma said this would bring down the pollution level by at least 80 percent.
Latest India News
