Buxwaha diamond mining project will make Bundelkhand’s water scarcity worse: Experts
6 July 2021
The proposed
diamond mine in the Buxwaha protected forest region in Chhatarpur
district of Madhya Pradesh may have a greater ecological impact on the
region than projected so far.
The project threatens to further
deplete the already scarce water reserve of the drought-prone
Bundelkhand region to excavate about five million tonnes of
diamond-bearing kimberlite ore per annum.
Diamond mining is a
water-intensive process. The water requirement for the Bunder mine and
ore processing plant is about 16,050 cubic metres per day (5.9 million
cubic meters in a year), according to the pre-feasibility report of the
project. The project is estimated go on for 14 years.
The Bunder
mining project was awarded to Essel Mining & Industries Limited in
2019. The company, in its application for environmental clearance,
stated that to meet water requirements and protect the mine from
inundation, a seasonal nullah (stream) will be converted into a dam.
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