The Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) has asked the ministry of environment to investigate into the Jindal Steel and Power (JSP) plant illegally drawing groundwater for its upcoming power plant in Angul district.
JSP is building a 12-million tonne steel plant with a captive power plant of 135 MW.
Khirod Singh, a lawyer and farmer in Angul district, pointed out that, “Our tube wells and ponds have all begun to go dry and by mid-March we will not even have drinking water. Last year also we suffered the same fate.”
Mr Singh alleges that the JSP project has dug hundreds of deep borewells which are being used to provide water to his plant in complete violation of the environment clearance that was given to him.
Bishwajit Mohanty of WSO, and a member of the National Board of Wildlife, says the environment clearance given to JSP had stated categorically that water be drawn was from the Brahmani river or the Samal barrage. The local administration, including the district magistrate, are appraised of the declining water levels.
Mr Mohanty said, “The situation is so alarming that wildlife, including the elephant population, have no access to water as all the local ponds have dried up.”
Mr Mohanty has asked the MoEF to withdraw the environmental clearance. In 2010, the WSO had successfully shown that JSP had violated forest laws in the same project.
The crux of the issue is that the power plants are located 35 km from the Brahmani river. But there is such an upsurge of anger against the Jindal group that the local farmers have not allowed the group to complete laying the water pipelines. Mr Singh says: “Farmers are demanding adequate compensation for their land.”
The JSP group has clarified that some vested interests have blocked the laying of the pipes even though it has laid 21 km out of the 28.5 km. It has constructed a rainwater reservoir in 200 acres to run the power plant insisting the groundwater levels in the region are healthy.
But local farmers insist if the MoEf does not intervene, they will soon become a water-deprived area.