Radioactive Repercussions

Many fear that new uranium mines in Andra Pradesh, India, will affect the health of locals.

Photo courtesy of Shri Prakash Not on our land! People protest against the uranium mines in Jaduguda.

In the state of Andra Pradesh in India, worldwide discussions about the use of nuclear energy are hitting closer to home. On February 6, 2006, the Ministry of the Environment and Forests approved a uranium mining project in the district of Nalgonda that has faced much controversy. Existing uranium mines in India can no longer sustain the country's demand for nuclear power and the government-owned Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) plans to open a mine and processing plant at the Nagarjunasagar reservoir. Although this has raised job prospects for locals, the Movement Against Uranium Project (MAUP), a coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), and many local residents fear that the project could pose serious health risks.

Dr Satya Lakshmi from MAUP cannot believe that locals were kept in the dark about this project for so long. Although uranium reserves were discovered in the area in the early 1990s, it was not until August 2003 that an information session was held by the state Pollution Control Board to inform residents of the plan to mine for uranium and the potential risks.

One of the main concerns is the large amount of radioactive waste that will be produced in the form of uranium mill tailings. In India, uranium deposits are extremely low grade and typically only contain about 0.1% uranium. Hard rock is blasted deep underground in the mines to extract uranium ore, which is then carried to the surface by trucks or skips. The ore is taken to a mill where it is crushed into a fine powder, purified using a chemical process, and reconstituted in a solid, usable form known as "yellow cake". The non-usable parts are radioactive by-products, which make up 99.9% of the material extracted, and must be carefully disposed of.

Photo courtesy of Shri Prakash Workers near the mines of Jaduguda, photographed for the documentary "Buddha Weeps in Jaduguda".

Past experience shows that the UCIL may not be taking enough precaution when disposing of this waste. At the Jaduguda mine in the state of Jharkhand, where the UCIL has been mining and processing uranium for the past 30 years, tribal people living close to the mines have been developing cancers and genetic diseases and many children have been born with mutated limbs. One small village reported 10 disabled children and older villagers claim there have been many more health problems since the mines opened.