What Erin Brockovich, a twice-divorced mother of two and a legal clerk, did to the small South Californian town Hinkley by taking on a corporation as huge as PG&E is part of American activism history Sukinda, in Orissa, has . not been as lucky despite scores of citizens' reports, environment assessment studies and a green brigade's non-relenting crusade. If Orissa accounts for 95 per cent of the chromium ore reserves of India, which are estimated at 175 million tonne, 97 per cent of this lies in Jajpur district's Sukinda valley and is spread over 200 sq km where 14 chromite mines operate. One of these mines has started operations recently but the others have been there for long. Besides, 12 of these units are opencast mines. The tag of being India's largest chromite reserve might appear flattering, but for Sukinda this has turned out to be a curse. The mindless mining has resulted in massive open-cast mines, hill-like dumps, a barren and dusty landscape, as well as the polluted air and water, which are enough to make the area one of the world's dirtiest. Independent studies claim that 70 per cent of the surface water and 60 per cent of the drinking water in the region contain hexavalent chromium (CrVI), a known carcinogen, well above the national and international permissible limits. This has only brought more disrepute to the mining hinterland. Last year, when the New York-based Blacksmith Institute listed Sukinda among the 10 most polluted places in the world, the Orissa government asked the State Pollution Control Board to conduct its own study to counter the American organisation's findings. The results of the study, which have been released only recently were eye-opening. The report reinforced , the claims that all is not well with Sukinda, where more than 60 years of mining have left the valley scarred. At the nine mines that were surveyed by the Orissa Pollution Control Board, which included TISCO, FACOR, OMC, IDCOL, IMFA and Jindal, hexavalent chromium was present in drainage water above the permissible limit of 0.100 mg/litre even after being treated. It ranged from 0.119 mg/litre to 0.690 mg/litre at the effluent treatment plant outlets, vindicating claims that the industries concerned have been releasing contaminated water into the rivers and rivulets unabated. That almost all of 14 chromite mines in Sukinda directly or indirectly release water containing CrVI concentrations into the Damsala rivulet, speaks volumes about the wa ter quality and enforcement system present in the mines. Worse, most of the rivulets and streams empty themselves into the Brahmani river, which is the lifeline of several districts. The pollution board study terms it "occasional deviation" from the prescribed limit occurring because of "management lapses" and feels that there is a need for heightened inspection. In 2004, the Indian Bureau of Mines, in association with the French company BRGM, prepared a Regional Environment Impact Assessment (REIA) study for the Sukinda watershed that included a cluster of 12 mines. It not only held hexavalent chromium responsible for the pollution of the water and soil, but also pointed at water discharged by the mines, the release of effluents and slurries, as well as the overburden stockpiles as hazards. According to the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment's report Rich Lands, Poor People, the mines of Sukinda generate about seven tonnes of overburden for every tonne of chromite. The report adds that 70 million tonnes of overburden have been stockpiled in the valley over the last six decades. What this massive stockpile has done is to contribute to the heavy concentration of CrVI to the surface and groundwater of the area. Slowly but surely, the carcinogen has entered into the foodchain and affected the lives of the people of the region. The IBM-BRGM report indicated that most wells and water courses in Sukinda valley were contaminated by CrVI up to a value of 3.4 mg/litre in surface water and 0.6 mg/litre in groundwater, against a permissible limit of 0.050 mg/litre. In a few places, even nickel was found in concentrations up to 0.6 mg/litre. The Orissa Pollution Control Board partially agrees with such results. Its study at 41 locations (with four samples each) for drinking water sources found just two points where the concentration exceeded the prescribed limit. However, CrVI presence in water bodies was found to be greater. Of the two mines where it was tested, CrVI was found in one during most parts of the year. In the adjoining villages, the carcinogen was found in high levels - ranging from 0.060 mg/litre to 0.484 mg/litre. The Blacksmith Institute report quoted a study by the Orissa Voluntary Health Association, which alleged that chromite mine workers, who were constantly exposed to contaminated dust and water, report gastrointestinal bleeding, tuberculosis and asthma besides incidence of infertility, birth defects, and stillbirths. The association's report stated that more than 24 per cent of the inhabitants in the radius of 1 km of the mining sites suffer from pollution-induced diseases. It also said that 84.75 per cent of the deaths in the mining ar eas and 86.42 per cent of those in the industrial villages nearby were because of chromitemine related diseases. The pollution board report questions the validity of the claims made by the voluntary health association but does not have findings of its own to counter the survey results. However, the board does admit that though suspended and respirable particulate matter in Sukinda are within prescribed limits, certain diseases could be a result of the intake of excessive CrVI. The board is so circumspect about this that it has advised the mines against plantation of fruit-bearing trees without proper investigation as it could mean accumulation of CrVI in the fruit. The board has engaged an occupational health consultant to investigate into the health of people in the mining areas. For all the mineral wealth that Orissa boasts of, little direct benefit has passed on to the people there. What they have instead is a legacy of hazards. Mineral rich Orissa is one of the largest mineral bearing states in India with about 17 per cent of the mineral reserves of the country. The total mineral reserve in the state is about 72,050.74 million tonnes (as of 2005). Chromite deposits in Orissa account for 98 per cent of the country's reserves. Orissa is the second-highest contributor to the total value generated by the minerals sector in India. According to the Indian Bureau of Mines, it accounts for more than 10 per cent of the total value, while the contribution of metallic minerals is the highest at 36 per cent. The mineral industry of the state has witnessed a 200 per cent growth in the last decade. However, the contribution of the mining sector to Orissa's GDP has been a paltry 6.6 per cent (agriculture accounts for 33 per cent). The government has collected Rs 690 crore as revenue from the sector, much lower than the neighbouring mineral-rich states. Jajpur district, where Sukinda is located, has a tribal population of 7.4 per cent and ranks 136 among the 150 backwards districts of India. Dangerous discharge A survey conducted by the Orissa State Pollution Control Board had revealed that chromite mines discharge wastewater rich in hexavalent chromium, a known carcinogen. There are 21 mines in Talcher-Angul, which discharge about 29,434 KL of water laden with heavy metal into the Brahmani river every day.