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Buddha Weeps... Ashish Bahal archashish@rediffmail.com The uranium for India’s Heavy Water Reactors comes from a single uranium processing plant at Jaduguda, a sprawling complex fed by three underground uranium mines. The Jaduguda uranium deposit, a mineral-rich geological zone is situated in a heavily forested area of steep hills which frame a fertile river valley and the indigenous Santhali and Ho tribal lands in the Singhbhum East district of Jharkhand state. Uranium is not the only radioactive element found in the ore. There are a dozen or so others known as uranium decay products. Each of these presents a unique hazard to people and other living creatures coming into contact with them. These wastes are radioactive for around 250,000 years. The Jaduguda tailings dams have become the nuclear waste dump for the entire country. Wastes from the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad and the BARC are being returned to Jaduguda. Waste from the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) in Hyderabad, as well as nuclear wastes from other parts of India, are returned by road and rail to Jaduguda and dumped adjacent to tribal villages, on what were the rice fields of the tribals. Around 30,000 people live in 15 villages within five kilometres of the Jaduguda complex. They are paying for India’s nuclear capabilities with their lives.
In a study that included water tests to determine the chemical load and bio-magnification of radio-isotopes in living creatures, serious effects of radioactivity on people and the environment were identified. People noticed that the small animals, including mice, monkeys and rabbits, had disappeared from the area. Kendu fruits have mutated into seedless varieties, and cows are being born without tails. Fish are being discovered with unknown skin diseases. In the absence of any official desire to find out the health of the people living around the mine, a health survey was organized. The survey found a high incidence of chronic skin disease, cancers, TB, bone and brain damage, kidney damage, nervous system disorders, congenital deformities, nausea, blood disorders and other chronic diseases. The most visible and heartbreaking impact of the mine has been the deformities in children. Low-level radiation causes genetic damage, slowly degrading the DNA material. Once the genes have been damaged there is no hope of repair. This damage is expressed in a multitude of ways: inability to conceive, miscarriages, still-births or one-day deaths. Children here have been born with skeletal distortions, partially formed skulls and blood disorders amongst a broad variety of other physical deformities. A popular movement against the mine has flowered in the last ten years as the health effects of low-level radiation have come into full force and the mine’s expansion has caused more dispossession.
JOAR is an indigenous people’s organization to pressurize Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) management to reform its operations. JOAR today has around 3000 members and a strong network within village leadership and the grassroots. JOAR has undertaken health surveys, legal action, awareness programmes, political lobbying and direct action in defence of the Adivasi people.
Independent media producers ‘Kritika’ have completed a documentary “Buddha Weeps in Jaduguda”. It documents the traditional way of life of the Adivasis and the damage that the Jaduguda mine has had over their health and communities. It is also a celebration of the people’s movement that has taken on UCIL. The video is also raising awareness about uranium mining throughout India, and is proving to be one of the most effective tools for spreading the word that JOAR has yet had access to.
The JOAR, with the assistance of the Japanese, have decided to construct a Rehabilitation Centre for the affected children and other victims near Jaduguda as an initiative to support the ailing sufferers who are seeking help from the Government. This centre would be the base of JOAR as well. This premise would also house a multi purpose hall which could be doubled up as a performance and a training hall to educate the tribal women in vocational skills, apart from its medical nature. Development Alternatives has provided voluntary assistance to help the community in the design of this centre.
The members of the organization are relatively rustic by nature and the attempt to get a building designed by professionals with a participatory approach was certainly a novel idea. The larger objective was to empower the grassroots level worker of the movement in decision making for their "space" level. It was an occasion to share responsibility and power to decide by an otherwise tail-ender crowd of the organization.
Though the idea of participatory design was well envisaged, it was difficult to execute. Interacting with the villagers who could not articulate what they wanted and did not know how to visualize. It was really challenging. The strategy was first to help the villagers define what they felt was important for the centre and then to visualize their design into a physical model. This was done over two meetings. First, the importance of the opportunity they had in defining their building was stressed upon. A lot of assistance was given in form of hints to identify the building types that would be required, e.g., OPD, Hostel rooms for the victims, reception, administration, staff quarters, guest house, multi-purpose hall, kitchen, dining space, Peace Museum and ample open space. Prayer hall (traditionally called ‘Zehar’) was a special demand by the stakeholders as a part of the Peace Museum from which they want to spread the message of love and peace. At the end of the day, a list was prepared with everyone’s consent regarding the design brief. The next day invited a larger crowd. This time the venue was a large courtyard in an adivasi’s house. A model had been prepared on the basis of last day’s discussion with each piece representing a building type lying free on the base that represented the site. The layout was to be decided on the basis of a discussion. The day started with a review of last day’s work where each item discussed earlier was recalled. Later, opinions were invited on the position and built-up style of each building type. There was a vociferous discussion and conflict among people regarding each building component, thus gaining ownership gradually. The discussion became really hot as it moved to the design of ‘Zehar’ - their religious place.
Next Steps Overall, some decisions were arrived at and the conflicting ones were left at bay, but the experience was enriching. At the end of the day, the otherwise ignorant villagers, fighters of their rights, owned the building and its design as well. The overall event gave them enough boost to continue with their mission. The Jharkhand Organization Against Radiation is looking forward to start the building construction this year with the help of their masons who would be trained at the TARA Gramin Nirman Kendra, TARAgram Orchha, in alternative technologies and skills. The responsibility of labour work for the construction has been taken up by the villagers themselves. Development Alternatives is grateful for this opportunity to learn from and provide critical inputs where these are really needed. q |
