Representative photo: A road on the outskirts of Chatapur, Madhya Pradesh. Photo: felixdance/Flickr, CC BY 2.0

More than 200,000 trees will be cut down in a diamond mine called the Bunder project in the Madhya Pradesh region of Bondelkhand, which is prone to drought. According to reports, the project is worth 55,000 crore rupees.

The project encountered resistance, including a large social media campaign that included hashtags #save_buxwaha_forest and #india_stand_with_buxwaha.

The project is located in the Chatabur District, only 20 kilometers away from the buffer zone of the Panna Tiger Reserve. If the project is implemented, it will destroy the wildlife corridor between the Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary and the sanctuary.

In 2019, a company under the Aditya Birla Group called Essel Mining won a 50-year mining lease for the 364-hectare announcement area of ​​the Bunder project. The country will receive 41.55% of royalties.

Nine years ago, Anglo-Australian mining company Rio Tinto submitted a proposal to operate the mine to the Madhya Pradesh government. It estimates based on a survey that the area has 34.2 million carats (6.8 tons) of diamonds.

In the same year, Rio Tinto signed a contract with the state to invest 1.4 billion rupees. The State Forestry Department approved a small project, mainly to conduct additional investigations, and excavated 475 hectares of land for the company.

But in 2014, when Rio Tinto expressed its intention to build a complete mine of more than 971 hectares, the forestry department opposed it. The Madhya Pradesh government then submitted a proposal to the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), the highest authority responsible for ruling forest clearing requests. The FAC later postponed the permit.

The project was also strongly opposed by the locals. In 2014, villagers in the area organized a large-scale protest against Rio Tinto on the grounds of environmental problems and loss of livelihoods. Rio Tinto closed operations in 2016 and handed over the project to the country.

"Our exit from Bunder is the latest example of Rio Tinto's streamlining of its asset portfolio. It simplifies our business and allows us to focus on our world-class assets," Rio Tinto CEO Arnaud Soirat said at the time. "We believe in the value and quality of the Bunder project and support its future development. The best way to achieve this goal is to transfer the assets to the Madhya Pradesh government."

An official from the forest department confirmed to The Wire Science on condition of anonymity that the department opposed the project. "But now this project has changed and it has been approved by the government. A high-level committee is reviewing it. If anything happens, we will raise an objection to the government," the official added.

Many controversial issues still exist. In 2015, Rio Tinto drafted a proposal stating that the project site in Chatabur is home to many leopards, chinkara and peacocks, and tigers are also frequented. A 2017 report mentioned the existence of the critically endangered white-rumped vulture. However, in the most recent assessment, the State Pollution Control Board did not report the existence of any endangered species in the area.

Rio Tinto's proposal for land conversion in 2015 was 971.59 hectares. However, Essel Mining now has 364 hectares of production-but the area indicated to be reduced also contains 34.2 million carats of diamonds.

Local activists expressed suspicion that Ethel did not immediately demand all the land to avoid trouble. "If they apply for the entire 971.59 hectares, they may not get a permit," one of them said. But if they keep it gradual, it may be easier. "

Another problem is water. Mines and ore processing plants will require approximately 16,050 cubic meters per day (or 5.9 million cubic meters per year). For this reason, Ethel proposed to divert the seasonal river to the reservoir, but the details are not yet clear.

There are sedimentary Vindhyan rocks in this area. The groundwater level is very low, and the deepest tube well in the area can only produce 20-50 cubic meters of water per day. The Central Groundwater Administration has listed Buxwaha as a semi-critical area in terms of water availability.

Secondly, many local residents live on forest products such as Tiandu leaves. The area is famous for producing bidis. “People move from here for employment, but when they return, their employment depends to a large extent on the forest, as happened during the blockade,” said Alvind, a resident of Buxwaha neighbourhood.

Buxwaha Forest has many teak, Ken, Bakhda, Banyan, Jamon, Tiandu and Arjuna trees-as well as jungle cats, sloth bears, jackals, striped hyenas, Indian foxes and wild dogs.

"The question is how many jobs the project will create? This area is prone to drought, and this forest is the lifeline of the people living in the village," local young man Abhishek Jain participated in protests against the Essel plan. "The company has promised to hire 400 employees, but these jobs will be for skilled workers. So locals will not be hired."

The writer and social activist Avinash Chanchal echoed Jain and added,

"Mining affects people's overall well-being because air and water are polluted. They also cause pollution. All of this affects people's health."

According to Jain, if Ethel continues to mine the mines, he and his compatriots in the area will organize a "larger Kip movement." A resident of Jabalpur, 250 kilometers south of Chhatarpur, also submitted PIL to the Supreme Court, requesting that the project be shelved.

However, the Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Pradyuman Singh from Badamalhera, about 50 kilometers away, stated that the protesters were “mentally ill” and “frustrated” and they did not want “any development”.

"Who can say in advance how many trees to cut?" Singh said in a speech to local reporters. "First, officials from the geological and environmental departments will visit the area"-once the trees are felled, "the government and companies will plant trees. If one tree is cut down, 15 trees will be planted."

However, compensatory afforestation in India has caused more and more controversy.

At the time of publishing this article, the email sent to Essel Mining has not yet been replied. It will be updated when a reply is received.

Mayank Jain Parichha is a journalist in Madhya Pradesh.

Vasudevan Mukunth, editor: mukunth@thewire.in

General enquiries: science@thewire.in