URI, INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR – Residents of the small border village of Uri are literally caught in the middle.
The mountains that surround the village are excellent sources for gypsum mining, but the mining process can have environmental repercussions and pose health hazards for the village residents.
Gypsum, a common mineral, has many practical, modern day applications. It is used in dry wall, concrete and common items like blackboard chalk. The extraction process, however, can lead to innumerable problems, particularly for those involved in the mining process and those who live in the vicinity of the mine.
Syed Rafiq Hussain, the village leader of Noorkhah-Uri says, “Mining can lead to mountain sliding, which can turn disastrous and this may lead to [the] collapse of the entire village.”
Gypsum mining is mostly done in Uri, which falls on the border of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a bowl-shaped mountainous region roughly 100 kilometers from Srinagar, the summer capital. Jammu, the winter capital, is much further south.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir has been divided into three regions — Kashmir, Jammu and Ladakh — and has remained in conflict between India and Pakistan since Pakistan emerged as a nation. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over the Kashmir region, in 1947 and 1965, as well as an unofficial war in 1999.
However, it is not only the tensions between the nations that are causing problems for the residents of this region. Mining sites in Uri have been leased out to people, either ministers in the state government or individuals in the state legislative assembly, who have, according to village leaders, shown minimal concern for the people living in the area. The Department of Geology and Mining identifies areas rich in gypsum and then leases out the mining sites to influential people.
Respiratory Problems Common in Mining Areas
Medical professionals say that association with mining causes workers and those living nearby to suffer from chest-related disorders, due to the dust created while gypsum is extracted.
“Normally we find cough[s] and other related disorders like cold[s] and sneezing among people living in areas where gypsum is extracted. This is due to dust present as a result of gypsum extraction,” says Dr. Malik Abdul Rashid, former Deputy Director of the Directorate of Health Services in Kashmir.
Since the river Jhelum flows down the mountains near the sites where gypsum is extracted, the water is now contaminated, environmental advocates claim. Most of the residents use this water for drinking, washing and other household purposes without filtration.
Adjacent to Noorkhah, the people of Bighama have joined together in one voice against mining in their village.
Mohammad Shaban, 40, argues, “Contractors acquire mountains on lease for two years or so. They are usually influential people and are hand-in-glove with [the] higher-ups. They make out good returns from this activity, but we’ve to suffer the brunt.”
Shaban says that the mining leads to rockslides, which threaten the resident’s survival, and those involved in mining suffer from health-related problems. He suggested that precautionary measures ought to be adopted to address these problems.
Locals at Noorkhah say that extraction of gypsum takes place in Bagna and Salamabad as well. “Gypsum mines are owned by members of Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly, big businessmen and influential contractors. Consequently, all our pleas fall on deaf ear[s] and it becomes difficult for us to raise [our] voice[s],” says Mumtaza Begum.
Begum’s son, Riyaz Ahmad, suffered from respiratory problems when he worked in a gypsum mine for few months. “He worked in mines to eke out living for the family. After [working] sometimes he suffered from respiratory problems. The doctor prescribed him to take precautionary measures before going out to work in mines,” says Begum, 45, who added, “but no precautionary measures are taken at the site.”
She adds that Riyaz had two options — either to earn a decent living for the family or to quit on health grounds. “He preferred the first option and continues to work in the gypsum mines.”
The Centre for Environment and Education–Himalaya and Welthungerhilfe [formerly the German Agro Action], a nongovernmental organization working on environment, development and earthquake response in Uri, has carried out a mini-survey on the health hazards of gypsum mining.
“[Gypsum mining] has had harmful effects. Medical experts say mining can have [a] serious impact on [the] health of people and this may cause damage to their lungs,” says Mubashir Ahmad, coordinator of CEE Himalaya.
According to the organization, suspended particulate matter has increased greatly in the area, due to the mining of gypsum, limestone and other minerals. This, combined with deforestation, has led to grave health concerns. “[These acts] causes health hazards. Tuberculosis is rampant in these areas. There has been degradation in physical fitness and [the] health of people,” observes Ahmad.
Mining Leads to Environmental Hazards
Gypsum mining results in environmental hazard as well, says Gurcharan Singh, an environmentalist and former mass media officer for the Directorate of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing. “Gypsum mining can lead to destabilizing slopes [and] that can lead to soil erosion. [The] water table gets affected.”
He adds that the population in and around the area where gypsum mining takes place, are also affected, due to environmental pollution.
Singh says that gypsum mining in the state of Jammu and Kashmir mostly occurs in the mountains and slopes. “Once the areas are mined, scars are left behind and [the] landscape is completely disrupted, which is visible even from a distance.”
“The [mining] acts as source spot for process of soil erosion,” says Singh, who added, “Open cast mining is carried out in sloping areas that causes lot of sediment [to] flow into streams down below.”
Gypsum mining has reportedly resulted in contamination of water in certain areas of the state. Intensive mining in the Asar-Bagar area on way to Doda in the Jammu division has led a road from Batote to Doda to sink.
He argues that mining can’t be stopped altogether. “It is a resource to be used, but we are mining in a bad manner,” he admist. Singh suggests mining should be done in a scientific, technical and legal manner to ensure minimum soil erosion, less health hazards and to prevent the pollution of streams flowing nearby.
He also advocates that workers at gypsum mining sites should be provided with masks, so that they are able to better protect themselves from the health hazards arising from mining activities.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a body of traders and industrialists in Kashmir, wants to make sure that the state government takes effective steps to ensure that mines extracting gypsum are not stopped.
“Otherwise we fear all plaster of Paris manufacturing units will get problems and even our cement industry, the largest industrial sector in Kashmir, will [fail]," says Dr. Mubeen Shah, former president KCCI.
According to Shah, the Geology and Mining Department has leased out 12 mines that are operational. Shah adds, “There are still huge deposits of gypsum that can be leased out.”
He argues that in every gypsum mine about 100 to 150 laborers are working and 150 trucks are involved in transportation of mineral to respective destinations. “All plaster of Paris manufacturing units in Kashmir region are fed by these mines and gypsum is an important ingredient for manufacturing of cement,” Shah says.
