Is Buxwaha Forest Cutting Worth?

Two lakh trees and water securities can become a price for 34 Million carats?

In India, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are the three states that produce diamonds. Among them, Madhya Pradesh accounts for about 90% of the total diamond resource of the country.

# Buxwahaforestcutting # Buxwahaforestdiamond #save Buxwahaforestcampaign

 Is Buxwaha Forest Cutting Worth? 

The government has proposed a Bunder diamond block project in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh. And, its been on news since. Essel Minning & Industries Limited (EMIL) an Aditya Birla Group company won the Bunder diamond mine project and ever since it is facing protests over ecological concerns as this projects results in cutting of over 2,00,000 trees.

The proposed project will be spread across an area of 364 hectares in the Buxwaha forests that is about 225 km northeast of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh’s capital. The block is estimated to have 34 million carats of rough diamonds.

According to reports, EMIL plans to develop a fully mechanized opencast mine and processing plant for diamond. The project is estimated with an investment of INR 2500 Cr. EMIL is currently in the process of obtaining various regulatory clearances such as approval of Mine Plan, Environment & Forest clearances required for the execution of mining lease. The company targets the execution of the Mining Lease by end of the year 2022 and thereafter initiates the mining activities. And onces its started it has potential to become one of the largest mines in Asian Region.
Local sentiments

The project is facing resistance due to ecological concerns and also because the locals fear it would lead to loss of livelihood.

Aniket Dikhit, a resident of the Kasera village, which is one of the closest villages to the mining site, said: “Despite the claims to provide jobs in mining, I feel the project will eat out the livelihood options in the area.”

“The project involves the diversion of a nullah which is a lifeline for the area. It ensures groundwater level and water for wildlife. I fear this project will lead to groundwater depletion as well.”

Two lakh trees and water securities can become a price for 34 Million carats?

What are ecological concerns?

• Estimated 2 lakh trees would be cut that can alone effect the natural climate of the region.

• The area come in drought region ,Mining activities itself needed a large amount of water everyday.

• Over 7 lakh tribal people can loose their livelihood.

• Tribal will loose their local ecology.

• It will effect in the loss of wild life species.

• The water requirement for this project each year is about 5.9 million cubic meters which results in excess use of water.

• The forest’s seasonal water streams are a source of groundwater recharge and contribute to Betwa river once the forest is cut it will not contribute in ground water recharge.

• the area has a fairly good variety of fauna, including seven species listed in Schedule I of Wild Life (Protection) Act which will come to an end.

Is it the first time protect in Buxwaha ?

This is not the first time that the project is facing resistance. In 2006, the Madhya Pradesh government had granted a prospecting licence to Rio Tinto Exploration India Private Limited (RTEIPL), an Australian mining giant, to explore diamond mining in the Buxwaha region in the Chhatarpur district. But the project faced strong opposition over ecological concerns at that time too. Later, the RTEIPL decided not to go ahead with the project and exited the project after submitting a prospecting report to the Madhya Pradesh government in 2017.

Though Rio Tinto did not specify a clear reason for exit from the project, a team of researchers analysed the reasons in a study, which was published in May 2021.

“We analysed Rio’s exit and suggested that there was not a single reason behind it. Rio might have left because the diamond business was falling around the world and are predicted to fall further as more diamonds are mined in African countries and Russia. To them, the money invested so far is simply not worth the trouble bad press would bring,” said Kuntala Lahiri Dutt.

Benefits of the Bunder diamond buxawa project-

• Thousand of jobs will be generated through this project.

• The state government will earn nearly 1500 crore as a revenue per year.

•  Big project like this will boast and stabilize our economy.

Though project like these will increase the economy of the country and will bring the wealth in country but the downside of this is many local people will loose their houses and they will be impacted more by this project moreover lakhs of trees and thousands of species will be killed just for the diamond. And the state which is known for its forests will loose its fauna.

SUGGESTIONS:-

Government can find alternate ways of diamond like man-made diamond. Which are lab-grown, fact is that it's actually a real diamond. These diamonds are chemically, physically, and optically the same as diamonds that come from the earth.

STILL, the answer you has to give of these questions are-

1. Does Diamonds have more value then forests?
2. Manipulated value of V/S Underestimated value of diamond forest and species which do we want?

Comment down your answer below...........