IRON MINING IN GOA (INDIA) An interdisciplinary study Xavier Llavina Pascual, Miriam Pablos Cascallar, Mireia Planell i Calle, Eloi Puigdollers Rodés, Clara Solé Carbonell i Aida Vila i Casau Degree in Environmental Sciences, Autonomous University of Barcelona Supervisor: Dr. Joan Martínez Alier 1th of July of 2013 Table of contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................................................. I GLOSSARY..................................................................................................................................................................... II LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .............................................................................................................................................. VI INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 BACKGROUND....................................................................................................................................................................... 2 JUSTIFICATION ...................................................................................................................................................................... 3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS AND HYPOTHESES ................................................................................................................................... 4 GENERAL OBJECTIVES ............................................................................................................................................................. 5 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES .............................................................................................................................................................. 5 METHODOLOGY AND DATA SOURCE .......................................................................................................................................... 7 SCHEDULED .......................................................................................................................................................................... 8 CHAPTER I. ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 11 I. DIAGNOSIS ............................................................................................................................................................... 12 1. TOPOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................................. 12 2. CLIMATOLOGY................................................................................................................................................................. 16 3. GEOLOGY ....................................................................................................................................................................... 19 4. HYDROLOGY ................................................................................................................................................................... 31 II. MINING EFFECTS ON ABIOTIC ENVIRONMENT ......................................................................................................... 38 1. AIR QUALITY .................................................................................................................................................................. 38 2. NOISE AND GROUND VIBRATION GENERATION ....................................................................................................................... 40 3. IMPACTS ON WATER REGIME .............................................................................................................................................. 40 4. IMPACTS AND DEGRADATION OF LAND ................................................................................................................................. 44 III. HIGHLIGHTS ............................................................................................................................................................ 45 CHAPTER II. BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 49 I. DIAGNOSIS ............................................................................................................................................................... 50 1. OVERVIEW OF THE BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT OF GOA .................................................................................................................. 50 2. BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT IN THE IRON MINING CONTEXT ............................................................................................................. 64 II. MINING EFFECTS ON THE BIOTIC ENVIRONMENT .................................................................................................... 68 1. DEFORESTATION .............................................................................................................................................................. 68 2. NOISE AND VIBRATIONS .................................................................................................................................................... 70 3. AIR POLLUTION ............................................................................................................................................................... 71 4. WATER POLLUTION .......................................................................................................................................................... 72 5. LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURES ................................................................................................................................................. 73 III. HIGHLIGTS .............................................................................................................................................................. 74 CHAPTER III. SOCIAL FEATURES INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................................... 77 I. DIAGNOSIS .......................................................................................................................................................... 78 1. POPULATION OF GOA: THE HISTORICAL EVOLUTION ................................................................................................................ 78 2. POPULATION OF GOA ....................................................................................................................................................... 79 3. CASTE SYSTEM ................................................................................................................................................................ 87 4. MINING AND SOCIETY ....................................................................................................................................................... 90 II. MINING EFFECTS ON SOCIETY ............................................................................................................................. 92 1. HEALTH PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MINING ACTIVITIES ................................................................................................................. 92 2. IMPACTS OF MINING ON AGRICULTURAL LAND AND EMPLOYMENT ............................................................................................. 98 3. IMPACTS OF MINING ON WATER AVAILABLE ......................................................................................................................... 100 4. OPPORTUNITIES GENERATED BY MINING ............................................................................................................................. 100 5. COMPENSATION OF MINING COMPANIES ............................................................................................................................ 101 III. HIGHLIGHTS .......................................................................................................................................................... 101 CHAPTER IV. MATERIAL FLOW ANALYSIS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................................... 105 1. MATERIAL USE .............................................................................................................................................................. 106 2. EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................................................................... 108 3. EXTRACTION ................................................................................................................................................................. 109 4. PROCESSING ................................................................................................................................................................. 110 5. TRANSPORT .................................................................................................................................................................. 112