The uranium mining project in Andhra Pradesh: a dossier

The uranium mining project in Andhra Pradesh: a dossier

July - September 2003

Harsh Kapoor of South Asians Against Nukes (SAAN) writes:

I have put together a small compilation on the upcoming uranium mining project in Nalgonda in Andhra Pradesh (India). This consists of news reports on the subject and a resource file with a reading list pointing at background material from outside India and some contacts etc. This dossier has been compiled in solidarity with the activists and members of 'The Movement Against Uranium Project' which is an umbrella platform of civil society groups opposing the mining project in Nalgonda.

We should all extend a helping hand of support to MAUP by firmly opposing the extraction and production of this lethal source material for the nuclear bomb, and for nuclear power programme. Since this new project is yet to begin, we should in public interest uncover the dirty legacy of uranium mining in India and elsewhere; The sordid experience of widespread cancer among uranium miners and their communities in Jadogoda uranium mines in Bihar should be shared with the people of Nalgonda. The Jadugoda mines have also been used for storage of nuclear waste from other parts of India. The Nalgonda mining project may also become a new storage dump for dangerous radioactive substances, creating even further risks for the region. The powers that be are pushing the case for the uranium mine as beneficial for local economic development and jobs, in total denial of the grave risks to public health and the environment. A decision to proceed with the mine will create irreversible consequences for present and future generations and should not be taken without people being able to make an informed choice. History will absolve us if we speak up now.

Harsh Kapoor (South Asians Against Nukes)