The Adani Group’s proposal to mine for coal under the ground in the Singrauli district in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has sparked concern in the local community over the mine’s possible impact on water, forests and wildlife. The Modi government has allowed the relevant Adani company to carry out an environmental impact assessment for the Gondbahera Ujheni coal block which is in a forested area close to an important tiger reserve.
Basic facts and figures:
Name of project: Gondbahera Ujheni coal-mining project
Location: Deosar, Singrauli district, state of Madhya Pradesh
Name of owner: MP Natural Resources Private Limited (an Adani Group subsidiary)
Coal reserves: 722.977 million tons
Peak output: 6.18 million tons per annum
Villages affected: 5 villages affected (Talwa, Devra, Tingudi, Ujheni, Majhauli)
Mining method: Underground
Mine lease area: 1926.246 hectares
Forest land: 461.777 hectares
Current status: Awaiting land lease, environmental clearance process underway
An Adani Group subsidiary, MP Natural Resources Private Limited, has proposed a 4.12 million tons per annum (MTPA) underground mine in the Gondbahera Ujheni block, which has geological reserves of 722.977 million tons of coal and was allocated to Adani Group in June 2023 in an auction carried out by the Modi government.
The lease covers 1926.426 hectares in five villages in Deosar tehsil – Talwa, Deora, Tingudi, Ujheni and Majhauli, including 1018.102 hectares of agricultural land and 446.367 hectares of government land. The project proponent has said that surface activities of the mine will be undertaken on 40.33 hectares of non-forest land.
However, the Adani Group has also sought the ‘diversion’ (which usually means the clearing) of 461.777 hectares of forest land, a proposal that is pending with the state government of Madhya Pradesh. The company has claimed that there will be no tree felling because the mining will occur underground. Nevertheless, local communities allege that destruction of aquifers by the mining process will deplete water intake by trees and degradation of the forest.
Environmental campaigners are also concerned about the impact of the project on the area’s wildlife because of the proximity of the mining lease to the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve, which is around 22 km distant in the neighbouring Sidhi district.
‘It is a matter of fact that underground mining will lead to destruction of aquifers,’ Siddhnath Sahu (45) of Nigri village in Singrauli’s Deosar tehsil (an administrative unit) told this correspondent.
‘Any depletion or destruction of aquifers will result in water shortages for all types of vegetation on the surface. Owing to large-scale mining operations in the Singrauli coalfields, local water bodies are gradually drying up. This is affecting forests and livestock, and consequently the livelihoods of local people.’
The Adani company has told the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (‘the ministry’) that the land required for the project is minimal and will involve no displacement of the local population. However, it has also said that wherever private land is required, the acquisition will be negotiated on a ‘one-to-one basis’.
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The forested land that has been identified for diversion is in the precinct of Ujheni village and comprises four compartments of reserved forest. In its application to the ministry seeking terms of reference to carry out an environmental impact assessment for the project, the Adani Group conceded that there are at least 19 water bodies within the lease area.
‘Historically, it has been witnessed that farming activities and surface water bodies are adversely impacted by underground mining operations,’ said Sadhu. ‘The region is already reeling under the adverse environmental impacts of numerous coal mines and coal-fueled power projects. Major rivers in the region, such as the Gopad and Mahan, are dying a slow death from the improper disposal of fly ash.’
(Fly ash is a major waste-product of burning coal.)
The forest department of Madhya Pradesh has carried out at least two inspections of the proposed project site. After an inspection on 2 August 2024, department officials recorded that at least four water bodies were observed within the forest land. The department’s report recommended that diversion of forest land be granted if the project proponent does not disturb the water bodies, implements a water-recharge plan for the region, and obtains consent from local communities and individuals who have been granted rights under India’s Forest Rights Act, 2006.
The Adani Group provided information about the presence of water bodies in the lease area only after a query was raised by the ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), which examines the potential adverse environmental impacts of coal-mining projects. The Adani company disclosed that there are seven ponds within the core zone of the mining project. Further, it said that there are 12 other water bodies in the buffer zone. A minor river, the Bandhay Nadi, passes through the southern part of the lease area, but the Adani company has said that it will not be diverted for the purpose of mining operations.
However, the EAC has asked the Adani company to formulate and submit a plan for water recharge and water conservation: ‘The Committee [EAC] also asked the PP [project proponent] to take measures for storage of treated water and maintain the ponds in such a manner that the same can be used for agricultural purpose and cattle and asked the PP to submit the rejuvenation plan for the ponds within the lease area and adjoining the ML [mining lease] area,’ state the minutes of an EAC meeting held on 1 July 2024.
The Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve is located 22.6 km from the south-west boundary of the coal block. One of the site-inspection reports prepared by the officer in charge of Singrauli’s forest division identified trees including Sal (Shorea Robusta), Sagwan (Tectona Grandis or Teak) and Sendha (Terminalia chebula) in the forest area that is sought for clearing. The report further states:
‘No Unique Species has (sic) been found in this area, only normal wildlife found in area like Wild Boar, Jackal, fox etc. … No endemic flora/fauna species found.’
However, environmental campaigners have pointed out that the addition of a mine to the existing industrial projects near the tiger habitat might endanger wildlife. The Madhya Pradesh government, in its bid to expand the tiger reserve, has displaced entire tribal communities in the past.
‘On the one hand, the government is looking to expand the boundaries of the wildlife reserve by displacing local communities who have been living in the region in harmony with nature for centuries,’ activist Umesh Tiwari told this correspondent. ‘On the other hand, the government is also allowing expansion of industries near the reserve.’
Madhya Pradesh is one of the important tiger habitats in India. Sanjay Dubri is one of at least six tiger reserves in the state. According to a government report, the tiger population in the state has increased from a meagre 300 in 2006 to 785 in 2022. The report states that Sanjay Dubri is contiguous with wildlife reserves in neighboring states and involves frequent trans-border movement of animals.
‘Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve is continuous with Guru Ghasidas National Park in Chhattisgarh, Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand, and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh through the forest of Shahdol Forest Division. Due to connectivity with neighboring states, herds of wild elephants occasionally venture into the tiger reserve. Measures to reintroduce prey such as the reintroduction of Gaur [a wild bison that had gone extinct from Sanjay Dubri], and the supplementation of chital from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve were done in Sanjay tiger reserve. These actions aimed to enhance the prey base and ensure a sustainable ecosystem for the tigers in Sanjay Tiger Reserve,’ says the report titled Status of Tigers: Co-predators & Prey in India-2022.
Environmentalists say that human activities, including underground mining projects, will hamper wildlife in the tiger reserve.
‘This is a corridor linking at least half a dozen tiger reserves in central India. The cumulative impact of the mines on the wildlife of the area will be significant. A study should be conducted before giving the project a go ahead,’ added Tiwari.
