Khasi Students Union Opposes UCIL's Uranium Mining Ambitions

The Khasi Students Union (KSU) has demanded that the Union Government scrap all plans for mining uranium in the West and South West Khasi Hills. The KSU has accused the government of meting out 'step-motherly' treatment. This came after the Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) had declared its intention to begin mining and processing uranium under the Kyelleng-Pyndengsohiong, Mawtahbah uranium project. This decision has come despite the UCIL shutting down its offices in the state on August 31 this year.

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In their press release, the KSU referred to other places where uranium was mined to the detriment of indigenous and tribal people such as the mines affecting the Adivasis in Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh; as well as the mines affecting the Navajo Nation in the United States of America and the Aborigines of Australia. They also accused the government of treating Hynniewtrepl and as a colony rather than a part of India.

The opposition towards uranium mining in Meghalaya has largely been led by the KSU. Uranium was first discovered by the Atomic Minerals Directorate in the 1980s and plans were made to exploit it during the Eighth Five Year Plan. However, civil society groups were adamantly opposed to the plan. Despite sporadic agitations against uranium mining, the state government under D.D.Lapang approved the plans for mining uranium in August 2008. The Meghalaya government as well as the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) had revoked the permission for exploration and extraction in 2017. However, even in July this year, reports of uranium mining activity have persisted. The deputy chief minister, Prestone Tynsong has denied that the state government had given UCIL the green light and instead told the press that the company has been extracting uranium illegally as it had not received any No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the district administration or the KHADC. 

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After Singbhum, Meghalaya has the largest uranium reserves in India. An unstarred questionin the Lok Sabha on March 14 this year revealed that Meghalaya has reserves of upto 23,040 tonnes of uranium oxide which translates into19,538 tonnes of extractable uranium while the rest comprise of by-products. However, the risks to life by way of radioactive poisoning are too high. At the same time,UCIL has proposed open pit mining in Meghalaya, this is due to the uranium reserves being close to the surface. The problem with open pit mining is that rain water run-off can carry away the minerals mined. When the minerals are radioactive, they can contaminate the soil and water which they enter. 

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The other issue is that processing the uranium ore also creates toxic by-products. World over accidents have occurred through which toxic by-products have contaminated the soil and water. In 1979, in Church Rock, New Mexico in the United States of America, there was a spill involving 1,000 tonnes of contaminated sediment and 370 million litres of contaminated water. In Jadugoda, Jharkhand,in 2006,a pipe carrying the toxic waste broke and leaked the waste into a water source for nine hours before the flow was stopped. Meghalaya being a part of a seismically sensitive zone is prone to experiencing tremors. Further, the state's rivers and streams flow into Bangladesh, thus any 'accidents', similar to the one mentioned above,will likely have international implications in addition to thedomestic consequences.