MINING: A GUIDE TO INDIA’S WEALTH, ITS RESOURCE CURSE         Map: Rivers + Minerals           Click to enlarge   Mined Rivers Water flows through nature in a cycle. It shapes landscapes and supports ecosystems. The same hilly, forested areas that produce the hard rocks from which minerals are mined also form the catchment zones that feed the lifeblood of rural India. Rivers are conduits that both propel India’s growth and hold a revered place in Indian society. India’s hydrological regime, however, is under fire from the devastation wrought by mining. Pollution and landscape degradation as a result of mining affect both the quantity and quality of water in rivers. When overburden is casually dumped into valleys, it pollutes rivers, increasing silt loads and introducing harmful pollutants into the water. Moreover, deforestation destabilises the landscape and creates runoff. With their natural flows disrupted, rivers in heavily-mined areas are more prone to destructive floods. Consequently, open-cast mining throughout the country places an increasing amount of land at risk to natural disasters. In addition to threatening the natural course of waterways, mining near river basins, especially in underground coal mines, puts workers at risk of accidents due to inundation. In 1975, for example, over 350 miners were killed when water gushed into mines in Chasnala, Jharkhand. As the map indicates, significant portions of India’s mineral reserves are in areas that are either near the origins or in the catchments of rivers. Nevertheless, there is no legislation on mining and water. Furthermore, no cumulative environmental impact assessments have measured the real impact of mining on India’s watersheds. Mining companies should not be allowed to inundate these ecologically sensitive areas without considering the implications downstream. .