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Article

1 Nov 2008

Author:
Rifat Mumtaz, Infochange News & Features [India]

Dark clouds over India’s sponge iron industry

Post-2001, India has emerged as the world’s largest producer of sponge iron...The cost of this spectacular growth, however, is being borne by people living in the states that produce sponge iron, as sponge iron units are responsible for unprecedented levels of pollution. Thick black smoke, contaminated water, depleting vegetation, falling agricultural yields, premature death of domestic cattle, and poor human health conditions are just some of the impacts. The plants are located deep inside forested regions that are rich in iron ore and have already been devastated by the mining industry. They include the states of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Goa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh...The situation in Karnataka is alarming. [refers to Jindal]