Enhancing resilience in mining towns to water and air pollution: a case of joda municipality in keonjhar district of Odisha

Abstract

Rapid industrialisation helps in economic growth of developing countries. Iron and steel industry is the backbone of all the industries because it accelerates industrialisation. Railways, ship building, vehicles, heavy and light machinery, construction, power sector, airports, etc., all depend on iron and steel industry. With the government’s decision to triple the spending on public infrastructure (National Steel Policy, 2017) the demand of iron-ore is set to grow. India has been endowed with abundance of natural resources in form of rich mineral reserves and therefore mining is one major economic activity. However, mining is also associated with loss of forest cover and air, water, soil and noise pollution. So, the aim of the study is to formulate strategies for enhancing resilience of a mining town to water and air pollution. The area taken up for the study is a small mining town, Joda, in one of the highest mineral bearing districts of India. It lies in Keonjhar district of Odisha state. The region is the largest producer of iron-ore in India. For the study, the methodology involved identification of stresses due to water and air pollution from mining activities first from secondary sources, and then from primary surveys which has been the main source of information on household conditions. Surveys were structured as per the resilience indicators used in different studies for the stresses identified from the secondary sources. The data was structured and grouped for vulnerability assessment on the basis of the sectors which are directly affected by mining industry and the sector they ultimately impact. All the indicators were quantified and scored on a scale from zero to one. The outcomes of the study showed that water and air pollution has escalated the issues like water scarcity, illness and other health conditions, under-nutrition, unhygienic living conditions and has narrowed livelihood opportunities for the people. Mining has had adverse bearing on the health, work, economy, culture and family life of inhabitants of Joda town which has ultimately impacted the health and well-being of the community. Therefore, the study has been concluded with the interventions and suggestive measures to increase their health and their adaptive capacity to enhance the resilience of Joda mining town. While Joda will remain a mining town for a foreseeable future, actions taken now to address challenges will only strengthen community well-being and sustainability moving forward.