URGENT ACTIONS

India: Opencast coal mining destroys the livelihood of indigenous people in Jharkhand

The rapid development of open cast coal mining in the North Karanpura Valley in Hazaribagh and Chatra Districts of Jharkhand is destroying the resources of food and water of the original inhabitants of these areas, mainly Adivasis (indigenous people), of more than 200 villages. The region has extremely fertile land which is now being converted into a mining site, taking away vital farming land and forests, and polluting the Damodar River, which is the lifeline of the area. This means a gross violation of the Adivasis' right to food - and hunger and malnutrition for them in the future.

Call to Action

An international action is needed to address the violations of the human right to food and to support the movement to resist the mining plans of the Indian government. Please write polite letters to the President of India, the Minister of Coal, the Minister of Environment and the Governor of Jharkhand requesting them to stop all mining operations and suspend all new mining projects in the region.

Background

The Karanpura Valley in Hazaribagh and Chatra districts in the state of Jharkhand in central India is a 60 kms long by 30 kms wide fertile basin yielding one of the richest rice and vegetable croplands in India. The fertile lands of the ancient Barkagaon landscape and the rest of the Upper Damodar catchment watershed are among the best agricultural lands in Jharkhand which has been farmed since before recorded history. The region used to be covered by large forests and was once famous for its wild life, the name Hazaribagh meaning: Land of the thousand tigers. Besides having a tremendous fauna and flora, the Karanpura region holds a fantastic cultural heritage: prehistoric rock paintings have been discovered there and even today indigenous people still keep alive their decorative artistic traditions that can be linked back to the prehistoric rock art designs.

Both Hazaribagh and Chatra districts have a remarkable stock of mineral resources, especially coal. Coal mining is scheduled to start shortly at Pakri-Barwadih near Barkagaon and over thirty other mines which have been allocated in the Karanpura region. These projects will have a major impact: They will ultimately destroy over 1,100 sqkm of land and forest. The vast majority of these mining projects are open cast mines. A mine producing 40 million tonnes of coal in its lifetime (~15 years) leaves a scar about 25 sqkm in area. Consequently, in a heavily populated country such as India, displacement of people is inevitable. As a result, the economic, social and cultural survival of the local population in over 200 villages will be severely endangered. This expansion has a considerable effect in terms of global warming, to which India is particularly susceptible. The mines will be followed by new coal-fired thermal power stations which will be a further source of carbon dioxide proliferation in large quantities. FIAN has already intervened in this case with s0916IND dated 7th July 2009.

Following are some selected national and international Acts and Declarations whose provisions are being violated if mining is taken up:

1. The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers Act 2008, Sections- 3, 4 (5), and 5.
2. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, 1966, Art. 11
3. United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Articles- 8, 10, 26, 29, 31, and 32.
4. Biological Diversity Act 2002, Sections- 36 (2) which requires directives to the State Government to take appropriate action, where any area rich in bio-diversity is being threatened, and  36 (4i) to assess the environment impact of projects  which are likely to have adverse affects on bio-diversity.

In addition, if mining is taken up, following human rights resolutions and reports are not complied with:
Human Rights Council Resolutions 7/23/2008 and resolution 10/04 15th June 2009 on the Implications of Climate Change, and report of Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (A/HRC/10/61/ 2009) in regard to the relationship between climate change and human rights.

FIAN Mandate

India is a state party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Therefore India and the state of Jharkhand are duty-bound under international law to respect and protect the human right to food. The plans to massively expand mining activities at Pakri-Bawardih as well as other places in the Karanpura region impose a severe threat to the Adivasi communities' livelihoods. If implemented India and the state of Jharkhand will violate their obligations to respect and protect basic human rights, including the human right to food, of the affected people.
FIAN carries out this urgent action together with the Adivasi-Koordination, which works  to protect the human rights of the indigenous and tribal peoples of South Asia.

Urgent Action 0915UIND