Thrust Area :Mining PROJECT TITLE: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF MINING ACTIVITY ON LAND USE : A CASE STUDY OF UDAIPUR MINERAL

BASIN* Key words :Mineral basin, mining activity, overburden, Environmental Management Plan. Dumb Bells Model. Historically and eco-touristically rich, Udaipur Mineral Basin is located just 1 o north of tropic of cancer in the southern part of the state of Rajasthan. This study aims to analyse the land use change during 25 years, between 1971-72 and 1996-97 due to mining activity. The Basin consists of Udaipur city and 153 villages, harbouring more than 5 lakh souls. There are 26 mining areas having 270 leases belonging to 54 villages; employing about 5000 people. The mining activity has brought amazingly unexpected economic prosperity among the both; labour and the state exchequer. The Basin produces more than 90% Rock Phosphate of the country and 80 per cent Barytes, 60 per cent Pyrophyllite and 10 per cent Lime Stone of the State, Marble Masonry Stone, Soap Stone and Red Ochre are also being mined in huge quantity. The land use data of the base year has been calculated with the help of the enlarged maps of an individual mines of the basis of Geograms; substantiated by the 16 Satellite Imageries, 300 photographs, 150 slides and other available secondary data. Socio-economic survey has been conducted with the help of the sets of questionnaire. The Physico-chemical analysis of water and soils has been conducted in the self set Environment Laboratory. The ruthless mining activity has degraded the valley ecosystem considerably. All the minerals are non-ferrous, being in huge quantity and having open cast operational method, the overburden is produced enormously; threatening as much as 24050 hectares area indirectly. Of this, 1061.50 hectares area has been grabbed directly by the mining activity. The blasting activity consuming 2500 to 3000 tonnes of the explosive per year, has adversely affected more than 1200 houses, noting 380 accidents; registering 234 hurts and 146 deaths during last 6 years. Even 4000 houses located on the periphery of Udaipur city suffer a lot due to the blasting activity. The mining and overburden both have spoiled 170 rivulets. Besides, innumerable cases of animal hurt have been noted on one hand and fleeing away of wild life including birds and deforestation have been apparent on the other. The well known areas of large no. of tiger, lion and deer population are now completely deserted. The puncturing of vadose zone of Jamar Kotra, Rock Phosphate, Daroli Lime Stone and Lakhawali Soap Stone mines has led to excessive water collection at the mining site, leading to the drying up of more than 50 wells down stream . No of scars in the form of ditches

having 10 to 50 M depth have defaced the surface of the vast area with great cruelty. The 32 crushers on the city periphery have consumed the hills over the hills while excavating the minerals; leading to the hot plate effect; enhancing the temperature of Udaipur valley. During the last 25 years, area under mining activity has risen from 29 to 1061.50 hectares, noting more than 35 fold increase. There has been a net decrease of 1049 hectares in the open land, followed by 352 hect. In forest and 200 hect. In agricultural land; total being 1601 hectares. Of this, 1061.50 hectares area has been grabbed by the mining activity and the rest 539.50 hectares land has been swallowed by the fast increasing number of the residential houses. Of the total area (1061.50 hect) grabbed by the mining, 732 hect. Area has been snatched from the open land and 295 hectares from the forest land. Even attack has been made on agricultural land snatching 34.50 hectares. The major minerals affecting the land use are Rock Phosphate, Masonry Stone and Marble, snatching lion's share of about 80 per cent of the total grabbed area. In 1971, the area under overburden was hardly 5 hectares but in 1997 it rose to 390.50 hectares, noting 80 fold increase. The Rock Phosphate having the porous character; its over burden has converted the vast area into infertile land. The vegetation cover in the area is decreasing fast; average no of trees per hectare is only 11. The physicochemical analyses show that at present there is no pollution. However, in future increase in the content of Phosphate, Barium Sulphate, Silica, Magnesia, Calcium, Aluminum etc. will have drastic environmental impact. The increasing attack of the mining activity on the forest and agricultural land are enough to forcast the bleak future of the Udaipur Mineral Basin. For the immediate remedy there is an urgent need of a well defined specific mining law, based on conservation and Environment Management Plan with special reference to the site of mining activity, removal and disposal of surfacial materials, blasting with special reference to the distance from the habitation, precautionary measures against accidents and health hazards, deforestation and afforestion, disposal of overburden, conservation of water channels and above all, the reclamation of the abandoned mining pits on one hand and the participation of local people vis--vis duty of mine owner on the other. For this well evolved Dumb-bells model for the development of both, natural as well as social environment must be worked out. The model emphasises the two ends of the dumb-bells as most active; one end being the site of a particular mineral and the other end is the seat of the human being. The region, thus, may form a number of dumb-bells depending on the number of settlement and the mining sites it has. For the mining, the first principal must be that the ownership of the mines must belong to the "Local" . In case, it is not possible, than

at least 40 per cent earning from the mines must be spent for the welfare/developmental activities of "The Mining Region itself" . While preparing the master plan, all the requisites of EMP including of those mentioned earlier, be paid due attention with special reference to the reclamation of the abandoned pits, overburden, blasting, chemical pollution, different land uses etc. For this purpose, the whole threatened area be divided into following hierarchical sectors: i. ii. iii. iv. Belt: It is the surrounding area. Being the area of immediate neighborhood of both the areas of Miners and Commume is connected by cart-tracks or other roads. Ribbon: It is the sub-route area reaching directly to the activity area, joining the main routes to the Belt. Secondary Route Sector: It is the area, connecting the Ribbon to the main route. Interstitial Area : Contains different land uses located away from the activity area including remote or isolated activity areas.

At present, both the activity areas i.e. the mining area and the area of human settlement are almost in complete "Isolation" from each other, need to be generated functional, psychological and organic relationships between the both, to harness the Sustainable Development. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Period of Study : 1994 - 1998 _____________________________________________________________________ * Principal Investigator: Dr. R.M. Lodha, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, M.L. Sukhadia University, Udaipur-313001.