Jadugoda, is located in Singhbum district of Jharkhand. Uranium mining activity in the region started way back in 1967[1]. Now the place is one of the major sources of Uranium in India. Due to the proximity of the mine, a large number of villagers suffer from cancer, skin diseases, physical deformities, blindness, brain damage, disruption of menstrual cycle or loss of fertility. Villagers are mainly adivasis (indigenous population), the Santhal, Munda and Ho tribes, evicted from their lands, work as miners and are exposed to a heavy dose of radiation. Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a government owned corporation is responsible for the mining refutes the allegations. However, independent researchers believe that the radiation causes severe damage to human health environment [2] |
| Name of conflict: | Uranium Mining in Jadugoda, Jharkhand, India |
| Country: | India |
| State or province: | Jharkhand |
| Location of conflict: | Jadugoda |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Nuclear |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Mining exploration and/or ore extraction Landfills, toxic waste treatment, uncontrolled dump sites Mineral processing Nuclear waste storage Uranium extraction |
| Specific commodities: | Uranium |
| Project details | The mines, set up four decades ago, employ around 5,000 people [3]. The UCIL has seven uranium mines - Jadugora, Bhatin, Turamdih, Bagjata, Narwapahar, Banduhurang and Mahuldih - in operation in Jharkhand [4]. |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Affected Population: | 50 |
| Start of the conflict: | 1995 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | Uranium Corporation of India Limited from India |
| Relevant government actors: | Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD), Jharkhandi Organisation Against Radiation (JOAR), Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Communist Party of India Marxists Leninist, Indian Federation of Trade Union, Human Right Law Network, All Jharkhand Student Union |
| Intensity | HIGH (widespread, mass mobilization, violence, arrests, etc...) |
| Reaction stage | Mobilization for reparations once impacts have been felt |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Indigenous groups or traditional communities Industrial workers Local ejos Landless peasants Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities Social movements Local scientists/professionals Jharkhand Mukti Morcha Communist Party of India Marxists Leninist Indian Federation of Trade Union Human Right Law Network All Jharkhand Student Union |
| Forms of mobilization: | Blockades Boycotts of official procedures/non-participation in official processes Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Development of a network/collective action Involvement of national and international NGOs Objections to the EIA Public campaigns Street protest/marches Strikes |
| Environmental Impacts | Visible: Air pollution, Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Genetic contamination, Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil contamination, Waste overflow, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Surface water pollution / Decreasing water (physico-chemical, biological) quality, Groundwater pollution or depletion, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems, Reduced ecological / hydrological connectivity, Mine tailing spills |
| Health Impacts | Visible: Exposure to unknown or uncertain complex risks (radiation, etc…), Other environmental related diseases |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Visible: Displacement, Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
| Project Status | In operation |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Compensation Environmental improvements, rehabilitation/restoration of area Institutional changes New legislation Technical solutions to improve resource supply/quality/distribution New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | Protesters under the banner of Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation (JOAR) with their constant agitation the following demands were met : 1. Getting UCIL to cover open trucks used to carry ores. 2. Earlier Mine tailing was given to people to build their houses, roads, boundaries, and compound walls. Today that practice has been stopped. 3. Earlier miners used to bring home their clothes and women used to wash them. They don t anymore. 4. Before the tailing pipe burst, till around 2006-07, water used by people used to be ground water or surface water. But after the disaster the company took the responsibility of providing pipe water. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | Although mines are still operating, lots of improvements have been obtained through the agitations. Protesters under the banner of Jharkhandi Organization Against Radiation (JOAR) with their constant agitation the following demands were met : 1. Getting UCIL to cover open trucks used to carry ores. 2. Earlier Mine tailing was given to people to build their houses, roads, boundaries, and compound walls. Today that practice has been stopped. 3. Earlier miners used to bring home their clothes and women used to wash them. They don t anymore. 4. Before the tailing pipe burst, till around 2006-07, water used by people used to be ground water or surface water. But after the disaster the company took the responsibility of providing pipe water. |
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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| Contributor: | Sohan Prasad Sha & Swapan Kumar Patra |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 956 |