The curve and dip on the landscape of Kolar Gold Fields owing to mounds, some more than 100 feet high, are all that’s left of the mining operations that were stopped in 2001. The promise of gold has since faded, but residents complain that dust from the huge dumps of waste soil left after extracting the precious metal is a health hazard.
These ‘cyanide mounds’, as the locals call them, are a slow poison that is causing people to suffer from respiratory-related diseases, said activists; a claim that health officials said is exaggerated.
With no resolution in sight, M. Jagadeeshwar, Third Additional District and Sessions judge at KGF, expressed interest in finding a solution. At a meeting convened in his chamber on Monday, he asked officials of various departments to coordinate and draw an action plan to find a permanent solution.
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According to residents and local activists, 32 million tonnes of waste has been produced over a century and dumped at 16 locations in KGF. “For people living nearby, the problem worsens during the monsoon, and on windy days as they are forced to inhale the dust,” said a resident, and added that the period from June to August is particularly bad, with a rise in cases of bronchial disorders and allergies.
Ashok Kumar, a trader at M.G. Market in KGF, alleged that the milk produced by cattle grazing in the area is polluted. “Vegetables in the markets are covered with dust, which is a cause for concern among buyers,” he said.
Madan, who lives in New Mill Block, alleged that the authorities and people’s representatives were insensitive to the problem because 70% of the residents were Dalits.
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Allegations denied
However, these allegations have been dismissed by health officials. R. Nanmathi Selvan, Officer on Special Duty, Bharat Gold Mines Ltd., said that waste dumps used to be maintained properly during mining operations through biological fencing and other measures. To the criticism that arsenic content of the mines adversely affected vegetation, animals and human beings, he said, “The waste and any arsenic content must have settled and become hard over the last 17 years. And since high density rocks were crushed during mining, there is not much chance of dust being dispersed by the winds. Movement of people over the mounds causes the soil to loosen.”
Planting saplings
Efforts to plant saplings over the mounds to prevent dust from spreading did not yield much success. “A serious and scientific way needs to be found to solve the issue permanently,” said M. Gule Gowda, a farmer and activist involved in the legal battle on the issue.
Now, residents are hoping that the initiative taken by Mr. Jagadeeshwar will yield a lasting resolution.