District Survey Report of Minor Minerals Other Than Sand Mining Or River Bed Mining for South Garo Hills District

DISTRICT SURVEY REPORT OF MINOR MINERALS OTHER THAN SAND MINING OR RIVER BED MINING FOR SOUTH GARO HILLS DISTRICT

(Prepared as per Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Notification S.O.3611(E), Dated New Delhi, the 25th July, 2018 and Meghalaya Government Notification No.FOR.29/2019/1 dated Shillong, the 9th July, 2019.)

(Shri M.M.Sangma, MFS) (Shri H.B.Marak, IAS) Divisional Forest Officer & Deputy Commissioner & Nodal Officer cum Member Secretary Chairman District Level Task Force District Level Task Force District Survey Report, South Garo Hills District District Survey Report, South Garo Hills District

Members of District Survey Report for South Garo Hills District

Shri H.B.Marak, IAS Deputy Comissioner 1 Chairman South Garo Hills District.

Shri M.M.Sangma, MFS Divisional Forest Officer Social Forestry & Territorial 2 Member Secretary Division South Garo Hills, Baghmara

Shri G.M.Khonglah Joint Director 3 Department of Mining & Geology, Member Tura

Shri S.Kurbah Executive Engineer 4 PWD (Roads) Member South Garo Hills, Baghmara

Shri K.Lamare Executive Engineer 5 Water Resources Member South Garo Hills, Baghmara

Shri H.R.Sangma Divisional Soil & Water 6 Conservation Officer Member South Garo Hills, Baghmara

Smt. R.R.Marak Asstt. Executive Engineer 7 Representative of Meghalaya Member State Pollution Control Board

CONTENTS

Chapter Description Page No. Preface 4 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Location & Geographical Area 7 1.2 Topography and climate 7 1.3 Administrative set up 8 2 Overview of Mining activity in the District 10 3 General profile of the District 10 4 Geology of the District 12 5 Drainage of irrigation pattern 15 6 Land Utilization Pattern in the District 16 7 Surface water and Ground water scenario of the District 18 8 Rainfall of the District and Climatic Condition 21 9 Details of Mining Lease in the District 23 10 Details of Royalty or Revenue received in last 3 years 24 11 Details of Production of minor minerals in last 3 years 24 12 Mineral Map of the District 25 13 List of Letter of Intent (LOI) holders in the District along with its 26 validity 14 Total Mineral Reserve available in the District 27 15 Quality/Grade of Mineral available in the District 29 16 Use of Mineral 30 17 Demand and Supply of the Mineral in the last 3 years 33 18 Map of Existing Mining Leases in the District 33 19 Details of the area of where there is a cluster of mining lease viz. 34 Number of mining leases, location (Latitude and longitude) 20 Details of Eco-sensitive Zone area, if any in the District 35 21 Impact of mining on Environment 37 22 Remedial measure to mitigate the impact of mining on the 38 environment 23 Reclamation of mined out area 39 24 Risk assessment and Disaster Management Plan 42 25 Details of the occupational health issue in the District 44 26 Plantation and green belt development in respect of lease already 45 granted in the district. 27 27.1 Conclusion 45 27.2 References 46

PREFACE:

In Meghalaya any mining activities are done without proper planning and in absence of stringent rules and regulation, it becomes a menace. Un-scientific and un- regulated mining is day to day activities of the State in the past. Since proper mechanism are not in place, people took advantage of the situation and ultimately many mishaps and accidents occurred which hardly got reported. Due to this many lives have been lost or unreported fearing action might be taken against them and the mine owners shrugged off their liabilities and responsibilities. Although The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act 1957 as amended in 2015 are in place, the Acts and Rules were never followed by the mine owners and they simply prefers for un-scientific way of mining to the best reasons known for them.

As such keeping in view of experience gained in period of time, the MOEF&CC came out with Environmental Impact Assessment Notification S.O.-1533(E) dated 14th Sept.2006, which has been made mandatory to obtain environmental clearance for different kinds of development projects. Further, pursuance of the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court Petition (C) No. 19628-19629 of 2009, dated 27th Feb. 2012 in the matter of Deepak Kumar etc., Vs State of Haryana and others etc., prior environmental clearance has now become mandatory for Mining of Minor Minerals irrespective of the area of Mining Lease. As per the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal, order dated the 13th Jan.2015 the matter regarding Sand, Brick earth, & burrowed earth cutting for Road Construction has to take prior Environmental Clearance(EC) for Mining Lease irrespective of the fact that whether the area involved is more or less than 5 hectares. In pursuance MOEF&CC Notification S.O. 141(E) dated 15th Jan. 2016, District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) & District level Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC) has been formed for Category –B2 Minor Minerals having area less than or equal to 5 ha. Further in order to regulate and simplify the mining activities in the State, the Governor of Meghalaya notified The Meghalaya Minor Minerals Concession Rules (MMMCR), 2016 vide Notification No.MG.49/2011/408 dated 12th September, 2016.

Subsequently, DEAC have been authorized to scrutinize and recommend the prior environmental clearance for Mining of Minor Mineral to DEIAA on the basis of District Survey Report (DSR). However, in later stages, the power of DEIAA where it authorise for Environmental clearance previously in the district level has been removed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court citing the reason of DEIAA members mostly Officers and Bureaucrats without having any knowledge or experience in the matter of mining activities. This DSR document shall be a guiding principle which is a compendium of available mineral resources in the District detailing the geographical area, environmental and ecological set up and replenishment of minerals and is based on data of various line departments, published reports, Journal and websites.

The District Survey Report will form the basis for application for environmental clearance, preparation of reports and appraisal of projects. The District Survey Reports need to be updated at regular intervals once in every five years.

Further in pursuance of MOEF &CC vide Notification No.S.O.141 (E) dated 15th January, 2016, the Governor of Meghalaya notified the constitution for composition of State Level Committee (SLC) and District Level Task Force (DLTF) for the purpose of preparation of District Survey Report vide Notification No.FOR.29/2019/1. Dated Shillong, the 9th July, 2019.

The Main objective of the preparation of District Survey Report is to ensure the following:-

1. Identification of Mineral Resources in the district. 2. To determine the mineable mineral potential of the district. 3. Identification of area and proximity to infrastructure and installations where mining should be prohibited.

Plate 1 Map of South Garo Hills District

Chapter 1

Introduction:

Location & Geographical Area:

The South Garo Hills district was created on 18th June, 1992 by bi-furcating the West Garo Hills district and lies in the southern part of the state of Meghalaya. The district is situated between 25˚10’ and 25˚35’N latitudes and 90˚15 and 91˚0’ E longitude. It covers an area of 1887 sq. Km. It is bounded in the North by East Garo Hills, in the East by the West Khasi Hills District, in the West by West Garo Hills district and in the South by Bangladesh.

Topography and climate:

The South Garo Hills district is hilly with difficult terrain with its headquarter at Baghmara, the only town in the district. It is one of the remotest places in the State where communication is very difficult. The South Garo Hills district forms a sort of undulating plateau with plenty of flat lands and valleys with altitudes varying from 100-1000 m above sea level. The low lying are mainly along the Indo-Bangla border area. The district has a rich and unique flora and fauna and is famous for Balpakram National Park.

The South Garo Hills district is mostly hilly with plains fringing the northern, western and the south-western borders. Tura range is the most important mountain range in the districts of South Garo Hills. This is one of the most important mountain ranges in the West Garo Hills, which is about 50 kms. long and extends in the east-west direction from Tura to Siju in the South Garo Hills district. The mountain peaks that are located in this range are Tura Peak, Nokrek Peak, Meminram Peak, Nengminjok Peak and Chitmang Peak.

The climate of the district is largely controlled by South-West monsoon and seasonal winds. The South Garo Hills district being relatively lower in altitude to the rest of Meghalaya, experiences a fairly high temperature for most part of the year. The rainfall varies from place to place and the average rainfall recorded is 350 cms, of which more than two-thirds occur during the monsoon and the winter being practically dry. The district has mostly dense tropical mixed forest and the Forest Cover (89.45%) is the highest in the State of Meghalaya (Forest Survey India Report, 2017).

Administrative set up:

Deputy Commissioner (DC) is the head of the District administration. The DC is the executive head as well as judicial head of the district and is assisted by a number of officers like Additional Deputy Commissioner, Extra Assistant Commissioners to assist him in different type of activities.

As executive head the DC plays an important role in coordinating with all developmental heads of the district for all round developmental activities under various programmes such as M.P. scheme (MPLAD), MLA’s scheme, Border areas development funds, Employment assurance schemes and so on. The District Planning Officer is assigned to see, formulate and release of fund for development scheme. There also exists the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and DC is the chairman of the said agency. The Project Director is the functional head of the agency. All schemes of rural development are implemented by Block Development Officers and the necessary funds are routed through this agency.

Maintenance of Law and Order is another important task of District Administration to safeguard the lives and properties of citizen. In this regard DC acts as District Magistrate for maintenance of Law and Order. The District Magistrate is assisted by Additional District Magistrate and other Executive Magistrate and keep close link with police Department for necessity. The Superintendent of Police is the head of police Administration who looks after the whole district of South Garo Hills for maintaining law and order.

Deputy Commissioner is also the head of the Revenue and assisted by Magistrate. There is also constitutionally recognized Garo Hills Autonomous District Council. All types of revenue collection like settlement of Hats (Bazar),Ghats, Professional Tax are directly collected by District council. However matters like land acquisition, allotment of land to Central Department, Payment of compensation etc. are looks after by the Deputy Commissioner.

The Constitution of India has at its heart, strong democratic institutions at the grass- root level since its inception. As such democratic decentralization became one of the Directive Principles of the State Policy. This democratic decentralization was sought to be achieved through the Panchayati Raj Institutions. However, it was understood that the erstwhile state of Assam had distinct customs and traditions and the need to protect and preserve state of these traditions was strongly felt. Accordingly, the makers of the Constitution deemed it fit to give these areas their own separate grass-root level political

8 and administrative structure. This was achieved by enacting the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the tribal areas under Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram fell under the purview of the Sixth Schedule. The underlying idea was that the Schedule would provide the tribal people with their own simple and inexpensive government so they so that they can manage their affairs in their own way. At present, the state Meghalaya has three ADCs viz., Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Garo Hills Autonomous District Council and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council.

The Sixth Schedule carries detailed provisions for the constitution of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in certain hill areas, including those that now constituted the state of Meghalaya. The Sixth Schedule bestow upon them the right to frame laws on subject like land, forests, primary school education, planning process, markets, trade, developmental activities. etc.

Table 1 Area and Administrative units:

Sl.no. Items Units Year South Garo Hills District 1 Area Sq.km. 1887

2 Sub-Divisions Nos. 2017 1

3 Community Development Block Nos. 2017 4

4 Villages (including un-inhabited) Nos. 2011 731

5 Towns Nos. 2011 1

6 Police Station Nos. 2010 3

7 Police out post Nos. 2010 1

(Census, 2011)

Chapter 2

Overview of Mining activity in the District:

Mining of minor minerals in the district is not done in large scale. The extraction of boulders and aggregates are done manually in small scale due to less in demand. If the demand arises, the contractors normally used to bring minor minerals from West Garo Hills District. Although minor minerals are available in the district, however mining leases have not been accorded till date. At present only two people had obtained mining plan and they are in the process for environmental clearance.

Chapter 3

General profile of the district:

Table2 District at a Glance

Sl.no. Particular South Garo Hills District 1 Area (Sq.km.) 1,887 2 Population (as per 2011) 1,42,574 3 Literacy (as per 2011) 70.41 % 4 Towns 1 5 Municipal Board 1 6 Development Blocks 4 7 No. of AEC’s 142 8 No.of VEC’s 614 9 No.of villages 804 10 No. of household 21,397 11 No. of Police Station 3 12 No. of Police Outpost & Check 8 post 13 Community health centre (CHC) 1 14 Public Health Centre (PHC) 7 15 Health sub centre 7 16 Colleges 1 17 Secondary/Higher Secondary 22 Schools 18 Middle/Upper Primary Schools 71 19 Primary Schools 416 20 Banks 5 21 Post Office 14 22 Sub-Post Office 2 Source: Statistical Handbook of Meghalaya (2017).

Table 3 Community and Rural development Blocks

Blocks Area Population Literacy (%) AEC VEC

Baghmara 430.30 sq.km 37,304 69.15 42 115

Chokpot 442 sq.km 40,772 71.40 34 260

Gasuapara 420 sq.km 27,819 60.42 29 120

Rongara 587 sq.km 22,543 72.22 37 111

Source: Statistical Handbook of Meghalaya (2017).

Table 4 Others resources of the district

Major Mineral Resources Coal, Limestone, Uranium, Quartz, etc.

Principal Forest Produce Teak, Sal, Bamboo, Cane, Rubber, Medicinal herbs and grass, lemon grass, thatched grass, wild honey, citrus, etc Agriculture and horticulture products Rice, Maize, Potato, Banana, Pineapple, Ginger, Turmeric, Bay leaf, Arecanut, Oranges, Jackfruit, etc. Wildlife Elephant, Tiger, Capped Langur, Clouded leopard, Hoolock Gibbon, Black Bear, Leopards, Sambar, Deer, Bison and Butterflies etc. Birds Hornbill, Hill myna, Babbler,etc

Major Rivers Simsang, Bugai, Dareng, Daldam, Rompa, Rongdik, Mahadeo, Kanai, etc.

Chapter 4

Geology of the District:

Plate 2 Geological model

Plate 3 Geological and tectonic map

GEOLOGY OF SOUTH GARO HILLS DISTRICT:

South Garo Hills is represented by a wide variety of rock types starting from the older metamorphics of Archean age to the Alluvial deposits of Recent age. The oldest known rock comprising ofamphibolites, quartz sillimanite schist of Archean age occurs as enclaves within the gneissic country rocks of Assam Meghalaya Gneissic Complex (AMGC). AMGC occupies the northern part of the area and is characterized by unclassified gneiss, augen gneiss, granite gneiss and migmatite. The above group of rocks is intruded by Mylliem/Nongpoh granite of Neoproterozoic to Early Palaeozoic age which is grey/pink in colour and porphyritic in nature. The sedimentary rocks of Tertiary age, form isolated patches and unconformably overly the AMGC. The Cretaceousrocks commence with pebbles bed and glauconitic sand stone of Khasi Group (Mahadek Formation) followed by basic alkaline dyke Cretaceous age correlatable to Sung Alkaline Ultramafic complex. The ultramafic rocks consist of altered lamprophyres, basalt dyke and sills. Towards the northern fringe of South Garo district, Lamprophyre dykes intrude the granite gneiss. The gneissic complex is overlain by Eocene sedimentary sequence of Jaintia Group. The Shella Formation consists of sandstone, lithomargic clay, shale and some coal seams followed by “Siju limestone” that locally forms potential reserve of raw material for cement. The Tura Formation comprises non- ferruginous sandstone, grits, subordinate shale and streaks of coal. The Tura formation passes gradually to the Kopilli Formation which is an alternate sequence of shale and sandstone with phosphatic nodules at places. Kopilli Formation is overlain by Simsang /Chokpotgiri Formation comprising feldspathic sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone and the followed by Baghmara Formation of Garo Group comprising sandstone, siltstone, mudstone and marlstone. The Newer Alluvium of recent age is deposited in the present river valleys. Structure of South Garo hills is represented mainly by a series of complex system of faults, which have caused considerable structural disturbance in rocks exposed in the area. A thrust has been reported near Siju town which extends along the Simsang river course.

MINERAL RESOURCES: Meghalaya is endowed with sizeable deposits of a number of valuable minerals, coal, limestone, uranium, granite kaolin, clay and glass sand are the principal minerals. A brief account of mineral resources is as follows:

Coal – Meghalaya Coal, which is tertiary coal, is generally sub–bituminous in composition. The prominent of the State are West Darrangiri, Siju, Pendengru– Balpakram in the South Garo Hills District ; BorsoraLangrin in the West Khasi Hills District; East Darrangiri partly in the West Khasi Hills and partly in East Garo Hills District; Mawlong–Shella and Shora in the East Khasi Hills District; and Bapung-Sutngain the Jaintia Hills District. Estimated Coal reserve in the State is 576 million tonnes.

Limestone – An extensive bed of limestone occurs in the southern part of the State from Jaintia Hills in the East and Garo Hills in the West. The main deposits are found around Cherrapunjee, Mawlong, Ichamati, Shella, Komorrah in the East KhasiHills District; Borsora and Bagli in the West Khasi Hills district; Lakadong, Lumshnong and Nongkhlieh in the Jaintia Hills District; and Darrang Era–aning, Siju, Chokpot in the South Garo Hills District. Estimated Limestone reserve is about 9304 million tonnes in the State.

Uranium – Significant occurrence of uranium deposit is found in and around Domiasiat and Wahkhaji area in the West Khasi Hills District.

Granite – Deposits of multi –coloured granite have been located around Nongpoh in the Ri- Bhoi District; Mylliem in the East Khasi Hills District;Mawkyrwat and Nongstoin in the West Khasi Hills District; and Mendipathar and Songsakin the East Garo Hills District.

Kaolin – Good Quality kaolin (China Clay) occurs around Mawphlang, SmitandLaitlyngkotin the East Khasi Hills District.Thandlaskein, Shangpung,Mulieh and Mynsngat in the Jaintia Hills District; and Darugiri in the East Garo Hills District.

White Clay – Sedimentary white clay is found around Cherrapunjee and Mahadek in the East Khasi Hills; Nongalbibra in the South Garo Hills and Rongrenggre in the East Garo Hills District.

Glass Sand – Glass sand is found to occur at Laityngew, Umstew and Kreit in the East Khasi Hills and Tura in the West Garo Hillls.

Sillimanite–It is found in some parts of Mawthengkut Block at Sonapaharof the West Khasi Hills District. About 50 million tonnes reserves are found in the State.

Other minerals – Quartz occurs almost in all districts in the Northern Part of the State. Feldspar and iron ore are reported in the Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills Districts; and bauxite and rock phosphate are found in the Jaintia hills district.

Chapter 5

Drainage of Irrigation pattern:

The district has considerable flat land, which provide suitable site for agricultural use. The hilly areas are mostly under forest with patches of cultivation on scarp areas. Major rivers flowing in the district are Simsang, Dareng,Bugai, Rompa, Chibe,Rongdik and Mahadeo. Major crops grown in the district are rice, wheat and pulses.

Table 5 Irrigation based classification of the District

Name of the district: South Garo Hills

Irrigated (area in ha) Rainfed (area in ha)

Gross irrigated Net irrigated Partially irrigated/ Un-irrigated or totally area area protective irrigation rainfed 5,692 4,843 - -

Sources: Water Resources Department, Baghmara.

Plate 4 Drainage of South Garo Hills District

Legends: Rivers: Streams:

Chapter 6

Land utilization pattern in the district: Forest, Agriculture, Horticulture, Mining, etc:

Agriculture and forests are the two important units of land utilization and they occupy about 132962 hectares (70.46% of total geographical area of the district). The gross cropped area in the district is 30714 ha (16.27%). The net area sown is 25454 ha, which is 13.48% of total geographical area of the district. Land put to non-agricultural use is 11175 ha which is 5.92% and area sown more than once is very low i.e. 5260 ha while Barren & un-cultivable land occupy 22752 ha (12.06%). While permanent pastures and other grazing land under miscellaneous, tree, crops and groves are not included in net area sown of the total geographical area of the district.

The following table gives the block wise information on land use pattern.

Table 6 Land Use Pattern

Blocks TGA* Area under Agriculture Area Area Area (sq.km) CGA NSA AST CI (%) under under under forest watershed other (ha) (ha) uses (ha) Baghmara 44200 8633 7206 1427 119.80 21428 6435 2995

Chokpot 43800 7798 6328 1470 123.23 21371 6578 2687

Gasuapara 42000 7986 6561 1425 121.72 20439 6186 2902

Rongara 58700 6297 5359 938 117.50 39010 3553 2591

Total 188700 30714 25454 5260 121 102248 22752 11175

Source: Department of Agriculture, South Garo Hills District.

Abbreviation: TGA- Total Geographical area, GCA- Gross Cropped Area, NSA- Net Area Sown AST- Area Sown more than once, CI- Cropping Intensity.

Plate 5 Land use land resource map of South Garo Hills District.

Source: Department of Forests & Environment, Govt. of Meghalaya.

Chapter 7

Surface water and ground water scenario of the district:

In the South Garo Hills District, the surface water is mostly streams and rivers and few from the springs which generally originate in catchment areas. The availability of ground water is not tapped much due to difficult terrain and undulating topography. However, in plain belt areas ground water is used for domestic purposes. In most of the cases, people uses for bathing and washing only due to high iron content in the ground water.

Table 7 Ground water availability for irrigation

District Stage off Net GW Existing Existing Provision for Net GW GW ground availability GW draft Gross domestic & availability availability water (ham for GW industrial for for future developme irrigation draft for requirement irrigation irrigation nt (%) all uses for upto 2025 (ham) @60% Net GW availability (ham) 0.04 1573 0 0 0 9 1564 938

Sources: Department of Water resources, Baghmara.

Table 8 Water Availability in South Garo Hills

Water Availability in South Garo Hills

Sl.no. Sources Kharif Rabi Summer Total Surface Irrigation 0.001170012 Canal (Major & medium 0.000562994 0.000607018 irrigation) Minor Irrigation tanks Lift Irrigation/ Diversion Various water bodies 0.000160028 0.000142632 0.00030266 including Rain Water Harvesting Treated Effluent Received from STP Untreated Effluent Perennial sources of water Ground Water Open Well Deep Tube Well Medium Tube Well Shallow Tube Wells Total 0.000723022 0.00074965 0 0.001472672 Source: Department of Water Resources, Baghmara.

Status of Ground Water Availability in India has largest irrigated agriculture with 65 million ha Net irrigated area (21 million ha through surface and 44 million ha through ground water). Methodology adopted for ground water resource estimation of the district is as per GEC 1997 Report, i.e. Ground Water Level Fluctuation and Rainfall infiltration factor Method. Assessment unit can be categorized into 4 categories as SAFE, SEMI- CRITICAL, CRITICAL, and OVER-EXPLOITED. As long-term water level trend does not show any major change so the whole district may be considered as SAFE. The detailed status of ground water, draft, recharge and gaps for the district is given separately in table 9.

Table 9 Status of Ground Water Availability

Status of ground Water Availability

Name of the State: Meghalaya

Name of the District: South Garo Hills

Name of the Block: Gasuapara, Baghmara, Chokpot and Rongara.

Ground Water (BCM)

Critical Semi-Critical Safe Draft Recharge Gap

- - South Garo 0.00013 1.1219 - Hills Source: Central Ground Water Board

Chapter 8

Rainfall of the district and climatic condition:

The Rainfall of the district varies from place to place. Normally the district receives maximum rainfall during the month of July-August. The rain began to recedes towards the end of October and the winter being usually dry. As compared to the last few years, the maximum rainfall receives during 2017 which was recorded 3504.22 mm of rain.

Table 10 Rainfall of South Garo Hills District

Years Months Total Rainfall (mm) Jan Feb Mar April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec

2014 Nil 17.6 20.4 61 186 470 303.5 304.4 930.4 18 0.2 1.6 2313.1

2015 4.2 26.4 89.6 41 267.8 695.6 567.8 778.2 586.8 24.6 7.4 4.6 3094

2016 15 0 154.2 168.4 382.6 366.2 952.2 359 305 235.8 1 1.6 2941.4

2017 5 2.4 300.6 386 345.6 435.8 703.2 836.8 619 223.2 10.02 19.2 3504.22

2018 0.8 3.2 61.2 175.8 nil Nil nil 490 427.2 64.8 0.8 13.2 1237

2019 0 16.2 47 151.4 681.4 672 933.8 - - - - - 1688.17

Source: Department of Agriculture, Baghmara.

Table 11 Temperature of South Garo Hills District.

METEROLICAL DATA ON TEMPERATURE FROM THE YEAR 2016 TO 2019.

STATION : BAGHMARA

ALTITUDE : 120 METERS

CATALOGUE : LATITUDE: 25°12°30°6"

SL. No. Month Temperature

2016 2017 2018 2019

Max Min Max Min Max Min Max Min (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) (°C) 1 JANUARY 27.77 10 30.86 11 27.4 6.86 29.89 11.32

2 FEBRUARY 31.7 10.66 32.32 11.51 30.04 11.67 30.15 13.0

3 MARCH 34.09 15.92 30.94 12.66 32.85 15.04 33.5 12.16

4 APRIL 35.62 18.21 34.36 18.31 34.81 19.45 35.88 17.1

5 MAY 35.13 19.78 36.09 19.46 * * 34.24 20.14

6 JUNE 35.56 23.47 36.44 22.2 * * 36.44 22.72

7 JULY 35.02 24 36.63 24.38 * * 35.08 23.38

8 AUGUST 37.35 23.91 34.17 23.79 35.8 24.11 36.58 24.05

9 SEPTEMBER 34.61 23.64 36.83 24.09 34.75 24.03 35.64 23.1

10 OCTOBER 35.88 19.78 36.45 18.66 33.2 19.18 34.35 19.18

11 NOVEMBER 35.26 14.79 34.2 15.38 32.56 14.3 32.2 17.36

12 DECEMBER 31.59 14.21 28.62 14.28 29.49 10.91 * *

Source: District Agriculture Office Baghmara, South Garo Hills.

Note: * No recorded data available.

Chapter 9

Details of Mining leases in the district as per the following format:

Sl.no. Name Name Address Mining Area of Period of mining Period of mining of the of the and lease mining lease lease mineral lessee contact grant lease (initial) (1st/2nd renewal no. of order (ha) From To From to lessee no. & date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

Note: No mining leases have been issued in the district.

Date of Status Captive/Non- Obtained Location Method of commencement of (working/non- captive Environmental of the mining mining operation working/Temporar clearance mining (Opencast/ y working for (Yes/no), if yes lease (Lat- underground) dispatch, etc. Letter no. with Long) date of grant of EC.

Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

Note: At present there is no mining leases issued in the district.

Chapter 10

Details of royalty or revenue received in last three years.

Sl.no. Year Amount (Rs.) Mineral 1 2016-17 nil Stone 2 2017-18 nil

3 2018-19 14,55,000/-

Chapter 11

Details of production of minor mineral in last three years:

Sl.no. Mineral Year Production

1 2016-17 nil Stone 2 2017-18 nil

3 2018-19 nil

Data not available.

Chapter 12

Plate 6 Mineral Map of the District

Chapter 13

List of Letter of Intent (LOI) holders in the District along with its validity as per the following format:

Sl.no. Name of Name of Address & Letter of Area of mining Validity Use Location of the the the lessee contact no. intent grant lease to be allotted of LOI (captive/ mining lease mineral of Letter of order no. & non- (Lat-Long) intent date captive) holder N 25˚23’28.40” E 90˚40’31.23” N 25˚23’27.36” E 90˚40’29.07” N 25˚23’26.40” 1 Stone GripsonM.S BadriRong No.B/16/VII/ BadriRongdong, 6 months Non- E 90˚40’28.86” angma dong 4245 Dated P.O.-Siju. South Captive N 25˚23’25.64” Tura, the 1st Garo Hills. E 90˚40’29.49” Oct, 2018. N 25˚23’26.44” E 90˚40’31.03” N 25˚23’27.68” E 90˚40’32.80” N 25˚23’28.20” E 90˚40’31.96” N 25˚22.59.57” E 90˚41.03.60” N 25˚23.00.83” E 90˚41.03.70” 2 Stone RappanG.M BadriRong No.B/16/VII/ BadriRongdong, 6 months Non- N 25˚23.00.20” omin dong 4863 dated P.O.-Siju. South Captive E 90˚40.56.25” Tura, the 10th Garo Hills. N 25˚23.00.00” Dec.,2018. E 90˚40.55.00” N 25˚22.57.56” E 90˚40.55.29” 3 Stone Alpha Umpling, No.SF&T/SG 4.80 ha 6 months Non- N 25˚22’1.54” D.Marak Dongsharu H/Stone/T/9 Captive E 90˚26’6.82” m, East 5 dt.4.4.2019 N 25˚22’4.41” Khasi Hills, E 90˚26’5.51” Shillong- N 25˚22’8.24” 793006 E 90˚26’15.64” N 25˚22’8.26” E 90˚26’20.69” N.25˚12.11.6’’ E.90˚16.49.7’’ N.25˚12.11.4’’ Non- E.90˚16.51.5” 4 Brick K.R.Marak Makkaburi No.B/16/VII/ 0.7 ha 6 months captive N.25˚12.07.4” kiln para,Jatrak 3695 E.90˚16.49.9” ona, PO- dt.12.09.201 N.25˚12.08.8” Gasuapara. 8 E.90˚16.48.1”

Chapter 14

Total Mineral reserve available in the District:

Meghalaya is endowed with sizeable deposits of a number of valuable minerals. Coal, limestone, uranium, granite, kaolin, clay and glass sand are the principal minerals. A brief account of mineral resources is as follows:

Sl no. Minerals Reserves in Major places of occurrence the State 1 Coal 576 Million Meghalaya coal, which is tertiary coal, is generally tonnes sub-bituminous in composition. The prominent coalfields of the State are West Darrangiri, Siju, Pendengru-Balpakram in the South Garo Hills district; BorsoraLangrin and Shallang in the West Khasi Hills district; East Darrangiri partly in West Khasi Hills and partly in East Garo Hills; Mawlong- Shella and Sohra-Cherrapunjee in the East Khasi Hills district and Bapung-Sutnga in the Jaintia Hills district.

2 Limestone 9304 million An extensive bed of limestone occurs in the tones Southern part of the State from Jaintia Hills in the East and Garo Hills in the West. The main deposits are found around Cherrapunjee, Mawlong, Ichamati, Shella, Komorrah in the East Khasi Hills district; Borsora and Bagli in the West Khasi Hills district; Lakadong, Lumshnong and Nongkhlieh in the Jaintia Hills district; and Darrang Era-aning, Siju, Chokpot in the South Garo Hills district. 3 Uranium Uranium - Significant occurrence of uranium deposit is found in and around Domiasiat and Porkut-Nongjri around Wahkynshi area in the West Khasi Hills District. 4 Granite 50 million Deposits of multi-coloured granite have been cubic meter located around Nongpoh in the Ri-Bhoi District; Mylliem in the East Khasi Hills District; Mawkyrwat and Nongstoin in the West Khasi Hills District; and Mendipathar and Songsak in the East Garo Hills District.

5 Clay 97 million Sedimentary white clay is found around tones Cherrapunjee and Mahadek in the East Khasi Hills;

Nangalbibra in the South Garo Hills and Rongrengre in the East Garo Hills District. 6 Kaoline 5.24 million Good quality Kaolin (China Clay) occurs around tonnes Mawphlang, Smit and Laitlyngkot in the East Khasi Hills District; Thandlaskein, Shangpung, Mulieh and Mynsngat in the Jaintia Hills District; and Darugiri in the East Garo Hills District. 7 Iron ore - West khasi hills and East Garo Hills

8 Glass sand 3.00 million Glass Sand - Glass sand is found to occur at tones Laitryngew, Umstew and Kreit in the East Khasi Hills and Tura in the West Garo Hills. 9 Quartz 0.5 million Quartz occurs almost in all districts in the Northern tones part of the State. 10 Feldspar Feldspar and iron ore are reported in the Ri-Bhoi and West Khasi Hills Districts; 11 Sillimanite 50 million Sillimanite is found in some parts of Mawthengkut tones Block at Sonapahar of the West Khasi Hills District. 12 Bauxite 1.45 million Jaintia hills tones 13 Rock Jaintia hills phosphate

Chapter 15

Quality/grade of mineral available in the district:

The quality/grade of minerals available in the State:

Sl no. Minerals Grade 1 Coal Sub-bituminous, high calorific value and high sulphur content 2 Limestone Cement metallurgical and chemical

3 Uranium

4 Granite Table top, wall cladding etc.

5 Clay White ware earthen ware furnace lining curing soap etc. 6 Kaoline White ware

7 Iron ore Low grade

8 Glass sand Ordinary glass ware

9 Quartz Industrial grade

10 Feldspar Ceramic grade

11 Sillimanite High temperature furnace lining

12 Bauxite Low grade

13 Rock phosphate Low grade

Chapter 16

Use of mineral:

a) Sandstone :

Uses:-It has also been used for artistic purposes to create ornamental fountains and statues. Some sandstone are resistant to weathering, yet are easy to work. This makes sandstone a common building and paving material including in asphalt concrete.

b) Shale:

Uses- Shale is relatively fragile, as far as rock fragility goes, so it is rarely used for building materials or industrial uses in its raw form. When properly processed, it can be used as an additive in cement and art clay products.  Shale uses in construction industry include Cement manufacture, Construction aggregate, road aggregate, Making natural cement, Raw material for the manufacture of mortar.

c) Quartzite:

Uses- Quartzite is an important mineral with numerous uses because of its hardness and angular shape, crushed quartzite is often used as railway ballast. Quartzite is a decorative stone and may be used to cover walls, as roofing tiles, as flooring, and stair steps. Its use for countertops in kitchens is expanding rapidly. It is harder and more resistant to stains than granite. Crushed quartzite is sometimes used in road construction. High purity quartzite is used to produce ferrosilicon, industrial silica sand, silicon and silicon carbide.

d) Phyllite:

Uses- Phyllite has found many uses in the residential construction industry. For its intrinsic qualities, they can be worked in varied ways to meet the demands and trends of most modern construction developments. The long-lasting texture and natural aesthetic appearance makes it suitable for modern design. Architects and builders use phyllite in a variety of design projects, including building facades, kitchen countertops, and floor tile in the interior of hotel lobbies, schools, museums and libraries. The mica content in phyllite makes it ideal to be used as a decorative stone.

e) Mica Schist:

Generally used as a decorative rock, e.g. walls, gardens etc. high percentage of mica group minerals precludes its use in the construction industries.

f) Biotite granite gneiss/ Migmatite/ Augen gneiss/ Dolerite:

Uses of granitic rocks-

Building Stone:- Granitic rocks have been extensively used as a dimension stone and as flooring tiles in public and commercial buildings and monuments.

Sub base and base material in road and highway construction:- Crushed stone is the most basic use of granite. Crushed granite is used as a sub base and base material in road and highway construction. It is used as crushed stone media in sewage system drain fields and as a base material for foundations and construction slabs. Crushed granite in attractive colors is used as a landscape stone and in planters. It also makes great railroad ballast, and in larger sizes it makes good riprap.

Granite Paving Stone:- Granite paving stones or "pavers" can make a colorful and interesting way of paving a driveway or patio. The beauty of natural stone combined with expert craftsmanship and design can produce a unique and lasting result. In the past granite blocks were often used to pave city streets.

Engineers have traditionally used polished granite surface plates to establish a plane of reference, since they are relatively impervious and inflexible. Sandblasted concrete with a heavy aggregate content has an appearance similar to rough granite, and is often used as a substitute when use of real granite is impractical. Granite block is usually processed into slabs, which can be cut and shaped by a cutting center. Granite tables are used extensively as bases for optical instruments because of granite's rigidity, high dimensional stability, and excellent vibration characteristics.

Amphibolite Uses- It is crushed and used for highway construction and as railroad ballast. It is cut for use as dimension stone. The highest quality pieces are cut, polished, and sold under the name "black granite" for use as building facing, floor tiles, countertops, and other architectural uses.

Fire Clay:

Uses- Fire clay is a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.

Coal:

Different types of coal have different uses-

Steam coal - also known as thermal coal - is mainly used in power generation.

Coking coal - also known as metallurgical coal - is mainly used in steel production. Other important users of coal include alumina refineries, paper manufacturers, and the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Several chemical products can be produced from the by-products of coal. Refined coal tar is used in the manufacture of chemicals, such as creosote oil, naphthalene, phenol, and benzene. Ammonia gas recovered from coke ovens is used to manufacture ammonia salts, nitric acid and agricultural fertilizers. Thousands of different products have coal or coal by-products as components: soap, aspirins, solvents, dyes, plastics and fibres, such as rayon and nylon.

Coal is also an essential ingredient in the production of specialist products:

Activated carbon - used in filters for water and air purification and in kidney dialysis machines.

Carbon fibre - an extremely strong but light weight reinforcement material used in construction, mountain bikes and tennis rackets.

Silicon metal - used to produce silicones and silanes, which are in turn used to make lubricants, water repellents, resins, cosmetics, hair shampoos and toothpastes.

Chapter 17

Demand and supply of the mineral in the last three years:

No data available on demand and supply of minor mineral in the district for the last three year period.

Chapter 18

Map of Existing Mining leases in the district: Till date no mining leases has been issued in the district and the two mining plan which had obtained for stone quarry as shown below:

Plate 7 Proposed stone quarry map of Smt.Alpha D Marak.

Plate 8 Proposed stone quarry of Shri Gripson M Sangma.

Chapter 19

Details of the area of where there is a cluster of mining leases viz. number of mining leases, location (lat-long):

No mining leases have been granted till date in the South Garo Hills District.

Chapter 20

Details of Eco-sensitive area, if any in the district:

Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) or Ecologically Fragile Areas (EFAs) are areas notified By the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Government of India around Protected Areas , National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. The purpose of declaring ESZs is to create some kind of “shock absorbers” to the protected areas by regulating and managing the activities around such areas. They also act as a transition zone from areas of high protection to areas involving lesser protection. An ESZ could go up to 10 kilometers around a protected area as provided in the Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 2002. Moreover, in case where sensitive corridors, connectivity and ecologically important patches, crucial for landscape linkage, are beyond 10 kilometers width, these should be included in the Eco-Sensitive Zones.

Further, even in the context of a particular Protected Area, the distribution of an area of ESZ and the extent of regulation may not be uniform all around and it could be of variable width and extent depending on the issue of notification as per the local situation.

The National Park and wildlife sanctuaries available in the district are: (1) Balpakram National Park (352 sq.km) (2) Siju Wildlife Sanctuary (5.18 sq.km) (3) Pitcher Plant Wildlife Sanctuary (0.02 sq.km)

The Eco-Sensitive Zones have not been notified till date in South Garo Hills District and is under process. As the proposed Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) is in draft stage, the map around the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of ESZ cannot be shown. The ESZ by default are 10 km aerial distance taken from edge of the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries but once final notification shall be done, the ESZ will be updated in the respective District Survey Report.

Plate 9 Map showing Reserve Forests and National Parks.

Chapter 21

Impact on the environment (Air, Water, Noise, Soil, Flora & Fauna, land use, agriculture, forest, etc.) due to mining activity:

Mining operations impact the environment in several ways. Impact on Environment due to mining activities varies based on the quantum of production rate proposed.

Impact of mining on Air:

The largest sources of air pollution in mining operations dust emission in the form of Respirable Suspended Particulate (RSPM) Matter and Suspended particulate matter (SPM) during excavations, blasting, loading and unloading, transportation of materials, wind erosion (more frequent in open-pit mining),fugitive dust from tailings facilities, stockpiles, waste dumps, and haul roads. Another source of pollution would be emission from trucks/vehicle used for transportation of mineral. These pollutants can cause serious effects to people’s health and to the environment.

Impact of mining on water:

Mining activity affects both surface and subsurface water. Due to mining water bodies can get contaminated with dust and toxic materials. The drainage system and topography will influence extent of water pollution. During excavation huge quantity of waste and dust generated which may flow to water bodies leading to reduced water carriage capacity, floods and reduced light penetration. Acid mine drainage is considered one of mining most serious threats to water resources. A mine with acid mine drainage has the potential for long-term devastating impacts on rivers, streams and aquatic life.

Noise pollution

Noise pollution associated with mining may include noise from vehicle engines, loading and unloading of rock into steel dumpers, chutes, power generation, and other sources. Cumulative impacts of shoveling, ripping, drilling, blasting, transport, crushing, grinding, and stock-piling can significantly affect wildlife and nearby residents. Vibrations are associated with many types of equipment used in mining operations, but blasting is considered the major source. Vibration has affected the stability of infrastructures, buildings, and homes of people living near large-scale open-pit mining operations. According to a study commissioned by the European Union in 2000: “Shocks and vibrations as a result of blasting in connection with mining can lead to noise, dust and collapse of structures in surrounding inhabited areas. The animal life, on which the local population may depend, might also be disturbed.”

Impact on Flora and fauna

Mining activity is one of the major reasons for deforestation, loss of biodiversity, habitat degradation and habitat fragmentation. Mining activity will require clearing of vegetation leading to loss of green cover. Dust and noise pollution will create affect wildlife. Mining activity in the wild life corridor/wildlife habitat will affect animal movement and will lead to man-animal conflict. Mining will change the topography of the area thereby causing physical disturbances to the landscape, creating eyesores.

Impact on agriculture

Agricultural yield will be reduced due to obstructions by the dust particles as settled on the leaves reducing photosynthesis process of plant.

Chapter 22

Remedial measures to mitigate the impact of mining on the environment:

The following are the remedial measures to mitigate the impact of mining:

1. Water shall be sprinkled at regular interval on the main roads, service roads and at loading points to suppress fugitive dust. 2. Wet drilling method is to be adopted to control emission. 3. Provision of ear plug to the workers. 4. Blasting shall be carried out during day time only after taking necessary precautionary measures to ensure safety of public. 5. Air and noise pollution shall be checked periodically and to maintain records. 6. Speed of trucks entering or leaving the mine is to be limited to moderate speed to prevent undue noise from empty trucks and reduce dust emission. 7. The mined out pits should be backfilled and area should be suitably landscaped to prevent environmental degradation. 8. Mine closure plan as per the mining plan shall be strictly followed with back filling, tree plantation. 9. Rain water getting accumulated in the quarry/mines shall not be discharged directly to the nearby stream or water body.

10. The workers employed shall be provided with personal protective equipment and dust masks. 11. Periodic medical examination of the workers and shall organize medical camp in the area. 12. Occupational health check up shall be done once in six months for workers. 13. Adequate measures to be taken during excavation to ensure that mining activity does not affect hydrological regime. 14. Shall ensure that no natural water course/ or water resources shall be obstructed due to mining activity. 15. Pollution due to transportation shall be effectively controlled. 16. Mineral transportation shall be carried out through covered trucks only. 17. Regular and proper maintenance of working equipments. 18. Regular training program to the mines workers and operators. 19. In the mining area adequate number of check dam, retaining walls garland drain and settling ponds should be provided to arrest the wash-off with rain water. 20. Comprehensive green belts of desired widths are to be maintained around the mining areas to control noise, dust pollution and to generate a healthy environment.

Chapter 23

23.1 Reclamation of mineral out area (best practice already implemented in the district, requirement as per rules and regulation, proposed reclamation plan):

Necessity of Reclamation and Rehabilitation:

1. Mining activities causes physical, chemical, biological and socio-economic changes in the area. 2. Surface mining activities disturb the original land profile. 3. In India, mineral production comes mostly from opencast mines & hence Land degradation problems are of serious concern. 4. An intricate, in-depth and site-specified techniques involving integrated approach is necessary.

Reclamation is important as mining. Restoration of affected environment to almost original must be taken up at utmost important and part of the earning derived out of mining activities should be used. It has three important roles such as

(i) Reclamation – Reclamation means return the mined-out land with useful life. It implies restoring the land to a form and productivity that is useful and inconformity with a prior land use. (ii) Rehabilitation – Rehabilitation is to bring back the degraded land to a normal stage by a special treatment. It is a process of taking some mitigation measures for disturbed environmental condition created through mining activities. (iii) Restoration – Restoration is the process of returning the mined out land being fit to an acceptable environmental condition. However, the general acceptable meaning of the term is bringing the disturbed land to its original form. Restoration is often used to indicate that biological properties of soil are put back on what they were.

23.2Reclamation Plan

Items Activities (i) Backfilling Reclamation & Rehabilitation of (ii) Afforestation on backfilled area Mined out land / area (iii) Afforestation on exhaust benches (iv) Pisciculture (v) Converting into reservoir/fish pond (vi) Landscaping and conversion to recreational centre (Vii) converting into Grazing land (i) Terracing Stabilization & Rehabilitation of (ii) Pitching dumps (iii) Construction of parapet walls / retaining wall at toe of dump (iv) Construction of check dams along slope of valleys (v) Construction of settling pond, channels garland drains etc (vi) Afforestation on dumps (vii)Use of Jute Geo textile to stabilize slopes Rehabilitation of barren area (i) Afforestation within lease Environmental monitoring (Core (i) Ambient Air quality Zone) (ii) Water quality (iii) Noise Level Survey (iv) Ground vibration

When active mining ceases, mine facilities and the site are reclaimed and closed. The goal of mine site reclamation and closure should always be to return the site to a condition that most resembles the pre-mining condition. Mines that are notorious for their immense

40 impact on the environment often made impacts only during the closure phase, when active mining operations ceased. These impacts can persist for decades and even centuries.

Mine reclamation and closure plans must describe in sufficient detail how the mining company will restore the site to a condition that most resembles pre-mining environmental quality; how it will prevent – in perpetuity – the release of toxic contaminants from various mine facilities (such as abandoned open pits and tailings impoundments); and how funds will be set aside to insure that the costs of reclamation and closure will be paid for proposed future land use after reclamation, such as for Forestry, Recreation, Water Reservoir, Crop Land, Residential/Commercial, Fish & wildlife Habitat, Grazing/Pasture Land.

23.3 Statutory requirement:

As per the Mineral Conservation Development Rule, 2017, the following rules must be bear in mind by the mine owner/agent/manager, which is a part of reclamation activities –

Rule 22- Mine Closure Plan

Rule 23- Submission of Progressive Mine Closure Plan

Rule 24- Submission of Final Mine Closure Plan

Rule 26- Responsibility of holder of mining lease

Rule 27- Financial Assurance

Rule 35- Sustainable Mining

Rule 36- Removal and utilization of top soil

Rule 40- Precaution against air pollution

Rule 41- Discharge of toxic liquid

Rule 42- Precaution against noise

Rule 44- Restoration of flora.

Chapter 24

Risk assessment and Disaster management plan:

Almost all the districts are affected by different kind of Disaster. There is a great need to strengthen the capacity of State, District and Block at various levels of departments, institutions and functionaries to respond to the Disaster at their own level with the active participation of community. Training to community especially in mining areas on disaster management will be of great help as it is likely to occur at any point of time. In the district, the mining areas like Chokpot, Darenggre, Budugre, Siju-Tolegre, Jadi-Nongal should be concentrated for forming the community based Disaster response team who can tackle with immediate action if the situation arises. Basic equipment which may require for immediate rescue of the trapped or injured workers should be available in the mining camp.

The district is vulnerable to different kinds of disaster which may bring catastrophic if the risk assessment and disaster management plan is not carried out according to the site specific. The following disaster may likely to occur are the following:

1. Slope/Benches failure 2. Accidents due to machineries. 3. Inundation. 4. Accidents due to blasting/ explosives. 5. Accidents due to Fire. 6. Accidents due to inadvertent entry of people and animals. 7. Accidents due to Lightning. 8. Accidents due to Militants attack. 9. Accidents due to infighting among the workers.

Disaster Management Plan

In order to mitigate the above Risk Assessment, the Disaster Management Plan in order to minimize accidents and control the damage, the followings are to be followed:

1. Proper maintenance of benches and slope along with proper design considering the stability of the working benches or slopes.

2. Proper maintenance of machinery and equipments and proper signaling methods. Proper maintenance of beams on haul roads including the proper width and gradient of haul roads. 3. Proper maintenance of drainage/ sump and pumps. 4. Care has to be taken on handling of explosive, misfires and proper design of blasting parameter and use of blasting accessories to minimize fly rocks, noise and vibration. Proper signaling and maintenance of blasting shelter. 5. Fire extinguisher has to be kept in all the machineries and wherever a fire hazard is anticipated. 6. Proper fencing of the lease boundary is to be practice in order to avoid any inadvertent entry. 7. Detailed list of equipment available, its type & capacity and items reserved for emergency 8. Apart from the above precautions, Emergency Response Team is to be arranged by the lessee under the supervision of Mine Manager to tackle in case of any disaster/ accident. 9. Management to ameliorate the situation of panic, tension, sentiments, grievances and misgivings created by any disaster and to help the injured, survivors and family members of affected persons by providing material, finance, moral support and establishing contact with relatives of victims. 10. It is also important that the lessee has to maintain the following facilities in the area:-

1. First Aid Room. 2. Telephones/ Mobile handsets 3. Emergency alarm in mine. 4. Firefighting equipment and accessories with trained manpower. 5. Training Centre. 6. Ambulance van. 7. medical centre and rescue room

Chapter 25

Details of the occupational health issues in the district (Last five-year data of number of patients of silicosis & tuberculosis is also needs to be submitted):

Since all the stone mines excavating below six meters from the superjacent ground, it attracts Mines Act 1952. As such there is no previous record in this regard available in the department, however it is proposed as per Section 9A of Mines Act 1952, the responsibility of the owner/agent/manager of the mine is to provide occupational health survey facilities to the employees. In line with above rule 29B of Mines Rules 1955, it speaks about the initial and periodical medical examinations of the employees employed in the mine. Initial medical examination for every person involved in mining activities has to be made compulsory and the employment of workers should be based on good medical record only. Periodic medical check-up should also be followed for taking care of the workers and employees by the mine owners.

At present the medical health facilities available in the South Garo Hills District are:

Sl.no. Particular

1 Area (Sq.km.) 1,887

2 Population (as per 2011) 1,42,574

3 Civil Hospital 1

4 Community health centre (CHC) 1

5 Public Health Centre (PHC) 7

6 Health sub centre 7

Source: Statistical hand book of Meghalaya (2017)

Detection of Silicosis and Tuberculosis in South Garo Hills District:

Sl.no. Name of disease Detection (in nos.) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 (upto2ndqtr) 1 Silicosis Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil Nil

2 Tuberculosis (TB) 121 98 92 123 115 47

Source: District TB Officer, Baghmara.

Chapter 26

Plantation and green belt development in respect of leases already granted in the district.

In respect of plantation and green belt development of already granted leases the lessee will maintained a 7.5m boundary zone of the lease area which is a part of environment protection measures and for this the proposed yearly expenditure on environment activities is as submitted by the lessees in the Pre- Feasibility Report prior to granting of Environmental Clearance. The green belt will not only on the one hand function as a foreground and background landscape feature resulting in harmonizing and amalgamating the physical structures of the mines with the surrounding environment but will also on the other hand act as a pollution sink, control erosion, make the ecosystem more stable and also make the climate more conductive. The choice of species to be planted should preferably be the local species compatible with the environmental conditions prevailing in the area.

Chapter 27

27.1 Conclusion:

Although South Garo Hills District is one of the remotest and least developed in the State, it is rich in Natural Resources. The District is rich in forest and wildlife and to name few, the famous Balpakram National Park, Siju Wildlife Sanctuary and Pitcher Plant Sanctuary it can boast of. The mineral resources spread across the district and huge deposits of coal, limestone, etc are found in the district.

The District Survey Report concerning for minor minerals mining in the district is least reported, which is partly due to no mining lease have been obtained by any party and also because of less demand of market as construction activity is hardly seen in the district. So far there are only two parties who have obtained mining plan for mining of stone quarry in the whole district of South Garo Hills and no mining lease has been issued till date. This District Survey Report is an interim report which need to be updated in due time for better management and scientific method of mining for safeguarding the fragile eco-environment of the district.

27.2 References:

1. The Statistical Hand Book of Meghalaya (2017). 2. District Level Statistics of Meghalaya (2018). 3. District Irrigation Plan, 2016-2020, South Garo Hills, Meghalaya, NABARD consultancy services. 4. District Survey Report of Minor Minerals (other than sand mining) Chatra District of Jharkhand. 5. District Survey Report of North Tripura. 6. District Survey Report of sand mining or river bed mining of Erode district of Tamil Nadu. 7. District Survey Report of sand mining of Doda district of J&K. 8. PHOTOGEOLOGICAL AND PHOTOGEOMORPHOLOGICAL MAPPING OF A PART OF SOUTHERN FRINGE OF MEGHALAYA IN KHASI, JAINTIA AND GARO HILLS DISTRICTS. (Progress Report for Field Season 1976-77): By Suresh Chopra Geologist Geological Survey of India 9. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/274720832 Participatory elephant monitoring and human elephant conﬂict in the Baghmara Balpakram landscape, South Garo hills, Meghalaya. 10. MEGHALAYA AGRICULTURE PROFILE 2006. 11. AQUIFER SYSTEMS OF MEGHALAYA, Govt. of India Ministry of Water Resources Central Ground Water Board North Eastern Region, Guwahati. 12. AQUIFER MAPPING REPORT ,Parts of East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills District, Meghalaya: Central Ground Water Board Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Government of India 13. Brief Industrial Profile Of South Garo Hills District, Ministry of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises, Government of India. 14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/292827423 Uranium mineralisation in the Mahadek Formation of Balpakram area, South Garo Hills District, Meghalaya Article in Journal of the Geological Society of India, November 2006. 15. w.w.w.megforest.gov.in 16. w.w.w.megdmg.gov.in 17. w.w.w.gsi.gov.in 18. w.w.w.moef.gov.in 19. w.w.w.fsi.nic.in 20. w.w.w.meghalaya.gov.in