India’s best kept secret
It is something called India’s best kept secret.
1967.
India- the 3rd largest consumer of energy in the world today, was then an infant republic with people to feed and industries to develop to catch up with the racing young nations in the post- 2nd world war world economy. Energy security was of utmost importance. Looking for newer energy resources, Jadugoda was found.
Jadugoda, a town of 19,500 people is a four-hour drive from Ranchi, Jharkhand. In 1967, this tribal town became the site for India's first nuclear mine. Site of the world's finest Uranium ore, magnesium diuranate.
While rest of the country got a fantastic new source of Uranium and the many possibilities it brought along, Jadugoda got a Curse.
It’s called a Nuclear Graveyard.
Over the past 40 years, the UCIL -a government-owned company -has conducted indiscriminate and unchecked uranium mining at the site. Rampant destruction of local environment and the health of the tribal population is a constant struggle for the tribals in this area.
The toxic emission has caused facial tumours, muscular dystrophy, deformed skeletons, lung cancer and curved spines,to name a few.
One of the locals, Laxmi has had three miscarriages and lost five children within a week of their births. When her ninth child survived, she considered herself lucky until she discovered that her baby has cerebral palsy and would be bed ridden for life. The poor child passed away in 2012, leaving just her memories.
There are several other Lakshmis with a similar fate in Jadugoda.
Uranium mining and milling operations produce dust and release radon gas, both of which are inhaled by miners and cause internal irradiation. Uranium ore is transported in uncovered trucks on bumpy roads, causing radioactive debris to fall off and land on the side of the road. The mine's tailings retain high percentage of the original radiation and are dumped in unlined and uncovered ponds, which emit radon gas and gamma radiation. All the surrounding water bodies have been largely contaminated with untreated disastrous chemicals.
During the monsoon rains, radioactive waste spills into the surrounding creeks and rivers, causing further internal radiation as villagers use the contaminated water for washing and drinking and also use the nearby ponds for fishing.
For the lack of awareness, the poor uneducated tribals are even bathing in these purely fatal ponds!
Cases of congenital deformities among infants, increased sterility; and elevated numbers of deaths due to cancer are a constant picture in the villages surrounding these mines.
Once a lush green forest surrounded by hills and the innocent hard working tribals is now reduced to a Living chemical nightmare.
UCIL refuses to take any responsibility for the irresponsible mining and disastrous ways of uranium ore disposal in the surrounding water bodies.
Jadugoda continues to pay for it.
Now to clear some doubts, I am letting you all know that this issue has been already well documented and publicized by both electronic and print media in the past. Yes, conditions might be improving in recent years, but they’re still nowhere near normal. Uranium is more dangerous as a chemical toxin than as a radioactive element. We have to be aware that chemical toxins have a way of seeping in and retaining themselves for the longest time-sometimes decades- in terrestrial and aquatic food chains and in the soils, air and crop around an area which is exposed continuosly to the chemicals. This consistency of exposure from the tailing ponds and improper transportation is the reason for the child deformities and environmental hazards rather than the radiation directly. Yes, all the rules and regulations are in place. But the lack of maximum implementation coupled with a general neglect toward them ensures that the hazards still persist. I thought that I might’ve wrongly publicized this story, but stuff I came across after I researched some articles proved that the issue is still valid. Feel free to search Google and Youtube.
So, I’d like to clarify that I did not post this article to hurl allegations or take some kinda political stand over here. Every country has its own problems and a way to fight them. I did it so that we as citizens, become more aware and concerned and responsible about the issue of environmental hazard and safety of our ecosystems-wherever we are. I’ll hope that it gets understood in the same sense.
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