PANAJI
The JSW Steel iron ore mineral block at Codli is located barely 10 metres from the Khandepar River, with the draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) flagging risks of silt and pollutants entering the river and possible river water ingress into the mine.
The river-ingress study prepared as part of the EIA describes the Dudhsagar/Khandepar River as the project’s “Primary external-water risk zone”, noting that it is “approximately 10 m from lease boundary at closest interface”.
The study calls for a detailed assessment to determine whether the river and mine are connected through groundwater or underground fractures. A minimum 50-metre buffer is to be maintained along the south-eastern boundary adjoining the river, with no mining activity proposed within it. It cautions that a regional model cannot be treated as proof of local hydraulic disconnection, given the critical separation of only about 10 metres.
The study examined whether river water could reach the mine through the shallow lateritic aquifer or deeper fractured and weathered rock formations, and whether mine dewatering could alter natural groundwater flow. While clay-rich layers may restrict water movement, fractured and weathered zones could allow it. The EIA states that “lithology alone cannot eliminate the possibility of local hydraulic connectivity”.
The project proponent has also been asked to prevent silt and pollutants from entering the river through drains, settling ponds and silt traps. An embankment with stone pitching must be built three metres above the river’s High Flood Level. A detailed watershed plan and river-ingress study are also part of the safeguards.
The Block-XII Codli project covers 377.08 ha and proposes annual iron ore production of 3.5 million tonnes. It will involve excavation of 8.21 MT of overburden/waste, taking total annual excavation to 11.71 MT.
