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Andhra Pradesh
By K. Venkateshwarlu
Environmentalists vouch for it, "given the past safety record of UCIL". Fear has gripped the villagers, even as the "uranium people,'' as company representatives are called here, are busy making preparations for an environmental public hearing on August 19. In fact, environmentalists have warned that the potential for disaster and the fallout is much more here, with the uranium processing plant planned to be located perilously close to human habitations (one km), Nagarjunasagar dam (10 km) that supplies water for irrigation and the Akkampalli reservoir (4 km), the offtake point for Hyderabad's new drinking water supply scheme, and the Rajiv Gandhi Tiger Sanctuary. A visit to this village and Dugyala close to it shows that none of the villagers is aware of the calamitous environmental consequences of mining uranium ore and processing it. All they know is that a "uranium factory'' is coming up and the "uranium people have promised us development, over 2,000 jobs and a high value for our lands''. "They told us that Mallapur would be transformed into a mallepuvvu (jasmine) and developed on a par with hi-tech Hyderabad,''says Satyanarayana, a carpenter of the village, who is planning to sell away his three acres to the company. Flooded by allurements, promises, skyrocketing land prices and offers of trips to Jadugoda in Jharkhand, which has the country's biggest uranium mine, the villagers are clearly confused. When a three-member group of environmentalists from Samriti, comprising Capt. J. Rama Rao, K. Satya Lakshmi and P. Kishan Rao, explained the impact on health and environment, showing the article and pictures published on Jadugoda in the Survey of Environment 2001, the villagers were simply stunned. "The uranium people did not disclose all these details. Whenever we asked them probing questions, they would promise us to take to Jadugoda,'' S. Muthaiah, an elderly villager, said. Jadugoda has become a symbol of how the uranium mining and processing could play havoc with people and nature, notwithstanding the stout denials by the UCIL and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre's committees. Well-documented studies showed that years of dumping of radioactive "uranium tailings'' permeated groundwater and contaminated surface water sources, turning the water black. Radioactive dust carried by winds proved to be a grave health hazard and made quiet changes in nature. Health surveys by independent agencies showed that the 30 years of mining has taken a heavy toll. People in the vicinity complained of fatigue, lack of appetite, respiratory ailments, rise in miscarriages, impotency, infant mortality, congenital deformities such as fused fingers, big or small heads, skin diseases and cancer. Mining has also affected crops such as paddy and livestock and even fish. According to UCIL estimates, around 11.02 million tonnes of uranium ore reserves are spread over 1326 acres of Peddagattu and Yellapur villages, which takes about 12 years for extraction. The UCIL is setting up 1,250 tonnes a day capacity uranium ore mining unit (Rs. 91 crores) and a processing unit (Rs. 315 crores). It is planning to acquire 526.65 hectares for the mining (Peddagattu and Yellapur villages) and 318.25 hectares for processing plant (Dugyal and Mallapuram villages).
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