Dear Everyone,

This is my third blog in as many days. Please take a look at the others, if you've missed them, through the Archives section.

After I left Andhra Pradesh, I went over to Rayagada, Orissa. Orissa – home of Odissi dance, which is all I really knew about this fascinating state in east India sandwiched among 5 states, even though it's on the Bay of Bengal. But I went to learn about the mining situation there, and what the Canadian aluminum giant Alcan's role is. I learned a lot, most of not good.

First a little positive stuff. On Thursday 2 March, I thought it would be good to see a bit of the turf, so Sudarsan, who works for the NGO Ankuran, and I went to see the 'falls'. I guess I expected something like a mini Niagara Falls. Of course expectations are always dashed, and this one was too, straight against the huge rocks they call Hathipathar – Elephant stones. Wow! We, along with everyone else, were completely dwarfed by these magnificent 'stones'—huge boulders that have been arranged somehow into this landmass permeated by running water. It’s the type of scene that truly leaves one breathless.

Of course, there’s the downside. The beautiful, untamed rushing water, not really what I think of as a waterfall, is downstream from JK Paper Mill. And of course the folks at JK Paper dump their refuse into the stream. And of course the result is badly polluted water. In one of the photos you can see three boys playing in the distance in the pool just beyond where we were standing. Their spirit was exuberant as they practised back flips, falling and trying again. Sudarsan pointed out that they were playing, yes, but in such polluted water that he couldn't help but wonder who was going to pay for the medicines for their skin or other diseases resulting from the contact. Because it sure wasn't going to be the company or the government, which is not enforcing environmental laws that do exist to protect the people.

The work that is being done (see photos) is a five-foot wall to protect people from falling into the water and drowning.

In the afternoon Sudarsan brought me to a small, forty-hut village about thirty kilometers away. As we climbed up and up, into the mountains, on really good winding roads, I sat on the back of his motorcycle and just marveled at the savage beauty that surrounded me on all sides. Finally we reached Lungu, our destination village Sudarsan had worked in extensively. It is, he explained, a completed programme, there was nothing more to do, even though there's a lot more to do. We sat and chatted with the villagers, mostly the men, and found that although there was a school there when Ankuran was there, the local government teacher no longer comes here. He lives not far away, and he gets a part-time salary of 1500 rupees for coming to Lungu a couple of hours a day, but he simply never shows up. The children are without education. I learn too that their main health concern is malaria, and this they are trying to combat through allopathic medicine. There is no interest in natural, Ayurvedic medicine; it is considered old and unscientific.

These people, Sudarsan explained, are simple and peaceful. They require help to know their rights and follow the rules so that they can receive the help from the government to which they are entitled. This remains part of Ankuran's ongoing work with many of the Tribal villages in their area.

Later I learn that the good roads we traveled on were built relatively recently by the Orissa government. But the question is, why is the government making these roads? The local villagers do not use them—they have shortcuts through the mountains. They also have no cars, trucks, motorcycles, or even bicycles. They simply pick up their ax-like implement and walk. There is strong suspicion that there are development plans for the area that will displace many people.

Finally, Alcan. Well, I refer you to my link for Alcantinindia to get the facts about the situation in Kashipur. At the moment there are about sixteen or seventeen people who have been arrested for protesting mining in the area, and twelve have been killed in what was supposed to have been a simple, peaceful protest. Upon returning to Canada I plan to talk to as many people as possible about the situation. As an Alcan shareholder, I will do whatever I can to urge them to leave. For now, it feels like the situation is too tense to write much here. I will add more at a later date.

Take care,

Ellen