In news– More than two lakh trees need to be felled for an open-cast diamond mine(proposed Bunder diamond block) to operate in Buxwaha, and the people of Buxwaha have been protesting to prevent the felling of trees.
Bunder diamond project-
- The proposed project will be spread across an area of 364 hectares in the Buxwaha forests that is about 225 km northeast of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh’s capital.
- The block is estimated to have 34 million carats of rough diamonds. The National Mineral Development Corporation’s existing diamond mine is about 175 kilometres from Bunder.
- The Bunder mining project falls under the Bundelkhand region of India, which is a water-stressed area.
- Environmentalists believe that the huge water requirement for diamond mining would add to the water woes of the region.
- According to the mining firm, it plans to develop a fully mechanised opencast mine and state of the art processing plant for recovery of diamonds with an investment of about Rs 2,500 crore.
- It noted that the project, once operational, has the potential to become one of the largest diamond mines in the Asian region.
- However, the project is facing stiff opposition, including social media campaigns.
- Already, a Public Interest Litigation has been filed in the Supreme Court of India, seeking a stay on the project that had been secured by the Essel Mining & Industries Limited in 2019.
About Buxwaha-
- Buxwaha forest which extends over a vast area of 3 lakh hectares is in the Chhatarpur district, Bundelkhand region, Madhya Pradesh.
- This forest is home to some rare species of animals like Indian Gazelles, Chowsingha, Sloth Bears, Leopard, Tiger, Monitor Lizards, Indian Rumped Vultures, and Peacock.
- It also sustains trees with medicinal benefits like Teak, Ken, Behda, Banyan, Jamun Tendu, Khair, Bel, Dhava, Seja, Ghoat, Renjha, Amltas, Saugon, etc.
