Green warriors warn about sinking land at lignite mine

Rajkot: After witnessing rise of a portion of land a year back, the residents of Badi-Hoidad village in Bhavnagar district are now worried about the sinking of land at the dumpsite of the lignite mines located in the area.
The members of Gam Khedut Sangharsh Samiti and Prayvarana Suraksha Samiti, after visiting the site between October 1 and 3, have alleged that the land at the dumping site has sunk by almost 25 to 30 feet.
In a letter to the secretary of ministry of environment, forest and climate change, chief secretary of Gujarat, CEO of Gujarat state disaster management authority and other concerned officers, the two samitis have demanded urgent investigation in the matter.
“This is to bring to your notice the unfolding environmental disaster at Badi-Hoidad and neighbouring region due to illegal lignite mining and its on-going dumping activities,” the later stated.
“We observed that the dumpsite has been sinking since night of October 1. We estimated that a stretch of land around 150m long to have sunk by about 25 to 30 feet,” said Rohit Prajapati of Prayavaran Suraksha Samiti who shot of the letter to the concerned authorities.
“At the same time, Maleshree river that flows 350 meters away from the village has been contaminated due to the illegal mining waste flowing into it and is fast being rendered unfit for agriculture and animal husbandry needs. Also, the adjoining pastoral land too has suffered damages due to pollution,” Prajapati added.
The environmentalists have also alleged that the earlier letters regarding the unfolding environmental disaster were gone unaddressed by the concerned authorities. They demand that the sinking ground phenomenon need expert assessment and immediate investigation.