Devidas Gaonkar is a poet and journalist, and a proud member of the indigenous Velip tribe. He lives in a remote forest reserve not far from the beautiful and touristic beaches of South Goa. Devidas dropped out of school in 2003 because there was no money for education, and of boredom if he had note found film-making, his passion. One…
Unmonitored mining has boomed in Goa in recent years and has had dire effects on the environment.
The Goa mining industry is thriving, but its impact on nature and the local population is disastrous. 8% of the state surface is already being mined, mostly to extract iron ore that is exported to China. Over 825 mining sites exist throughout the state, and a large number of projects have been given government’s clearance.
The very large scale and intensive nature of mining exploitation is a serious challenge to Goa's fragile ecosystem. Indeed, 90 % of Goa’s mining leases are within notified wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests. Large areas of fertile agricultural lands have also been diverted for mining. Huge quantities of mining particles are deposited in rivers, contaminating water sources.
Devidas Gaonkar, our Community Correspondent in Goa, has been personally affected by the issue. Belonging to a tribal community, he has witnessed how mining exploitation has encroached on natural resources that are so crucial to sustain life in Goa. His village has been flooded recently because of this excessive mining in the area.
In his video, Devidas gives us a powerful and articulate description on how mining is impacting the environment. Deforestation due to mining activity is causing soil erosion and siltation, increasing the risk of flooding and impacting ground water, potentially causing water shortage.
With his video, Devidas is adding his voice to the chorus of activists who incessantly warn the government against the risk of excessive mining exploitation. Numerous common people like Devidas have also been courageously protesting mining in the streets and blocking vehicles passing through their villages. Devidas wishes his video to similarly raise awareness, with the hope that the government will soon put a halt to large-scale unmonitored mining, which is proving fatal for Goa's vegetation, water and biodiversity.
No Cards
The article argues that systematically ignoring and silencing the voices of the poor and marginalized worldwide does not serve society or democracy well and must be countered. While new technologies such as AI could provide an opportunity for change, we contend that these technologies need to account more effectively for...
Impact Story
When the staff at Gannett newspapers in the US coined the term MOJO (Mobile Journalism) to describe new ways of gathering and distributing news using emerging technologies in 2005, they would not have imagined its virality and use ten years later. Ask new media journalists and our Community Correspondents Shah...