DH Exclusive: 26K trees in peril as NMDC eyes Sandur

More than 26,000 trees and several wild animals in the Sandur forest range stand threatened following the National Mineral Development Corporation's (NMDC) request to divert nearly 400 acres of forest land for iron ore mining.

Sources in the government said the original proposal, placed in cold storage since 2014, was revived recently following approval from the Bureau of Indian Mines.

According to documents available with DH, the NMDC proposes to exploit an estimated 600 lakh tonnes of iron ore in an area of 159.01 hectares (393 acres). The mining is expected to bring generate at least Rs 9,000 crore profit over the next 20 years for the firm. This is in addition to 800 acres already being mined in the adjoining area.

Forest officials, who visited the spot to assess the potential damage to the environment, have submitted a report, with the sample study estimating that more than 26,000 trees need to be cut for the project.

Noting the forest area has a good canopy and clearing the trees would lead to high soil erosion, the documents state the project would have a negative effect on several wild animals, including leopard, pangolin and sloth bear.

The Deputy Conservator of Forests, Ballari division, has noted in his report that the proposed mining site falls within a kilometre of the archaeologically important site of Kumaraswamy Temple.

“The honourable Supreme Court has issued a direction to examine and recommended measures with respect to restriction of the mining activities up to 2 km of such sites,” the report said.

The spot visit report from the chief conservator of forests, whose joint survey reduced the actual proposed area by about 5 acres, endorsed the views of the DFO.

“This project should not be considered for mining keeping the environmental stability of this region which is already damaged to the higher extent (by) the existing mining leases,” the report states.

In its report to the Supreme Court, Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) had said “serious health hazard” posed by “rampant mining” has led to high pollution. Besides the ill effects on the people, “species of wildlife such as Egyptian vulture, yellow-throated bulbul, white-backed vulture and four-horned antelopes have vanished due to depletion in the forest cover on account of mining”, it said.

Sources in the government said the reports will be forwarded to the expert appraisal committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, which has the final say on the proposal.

“Regardless of ground reports, the expert committee can take its own decision,” the source added.