The Impact of Bauxite Mining on the Physical Environment of Western Maharashtra, India

Abstract

The government has leased 33 bauxite mining projects in western Maharashtra. In reality the number of mines at work are 28. A large number of bauxite mines, 16 to be precise are located in the Kolhapur district and 12 mines are located in Konkan region, which is in the districts of Raigad (7) and Ratnagiri (5). Tehsilwise distribution reveals that maximum number of mines are located in Shahuwadi tehsil (10) of Kolhapur district which is followed by the tehsils of Shriwardhan (6), Chandgad (3), Dapoli (3), Radhanagari (2), Mandangad (2), Bhudargad (1) and Pen (1). Villages which fall within 2 km radius are the mining affected villages. The total excavated areas of mines 7697077 sq.mts, the depths of all these mines are found up to 4 to 9 meters. Total volume of excavated landmass that is 41029443 cubic meter land has been excaveted in Maharashtra in order to get bauxite. Bulk density for mines of Konkan was found to be 1.670 tonne per cubic meter. Whereas bulk density of mines in the Sahyadri was 1.676 tonne per cubic meter. Up till 68696115.41 tonnes of earth materials have been excaveted from the bauxite mines of the Western Maharastra. Stripping ratio of bauxite mines of India is 1.281. It means out of total earth materials 54.55 % waste dump material is created. Such waste materials are mounted / dumpted near the mining areas. A total of 27478446 tonnes bauxite has been produced and 41217669 tonnes of Waste Earth Materials generated in Western Maharashtara. In Western Maharastra, the government has sanctioned 4784.13 hector lands for bauxite mining projects. Out of this area, 1496.88 hector land, mean 31.29% are under forest.