22 yrs on, closed Sesa Goa mining site turns a shade greener

Panaji, Feb 21 (PTI) In 1991 at Sankhali village, Sesa Goa's second largest mining site, the landscape was pockmarked with huge craters and rocks were dug out to tap rich iron ore deposits. But 22 years down the line, after the mine was closed, the site houses huge spice plantation, a lake, a Football Academy and a technical school, as part of the rehabilitation process. The area spread over 203 hectare was home to three huge mining iron ore leases, making it the second highest mining operation of the company two decades ago. Now only one lease is operational, and the other two which were closed down have become a mining site rehabilitation model, making it a prospective tourist spot. "We did not want the mining site to be a ghost town. So the idea of refurbishing it cropped up. We began by planting acacia and cashew plants," Ulhas Kerkar General Manager Sesa Goa, told PTI at the Sankhali site. The mining site has turned green due to the labours of the company which eventually replaced acacia with local species of plants. Kerkar said the mining site, which otherwise was marooned, has more than 32 different varieties of healthy bamboo cultivation. A patch of land, which was used to store mining rejects (unused low grade ore), has been developed into a garden by reclaiming the soil. "It takes three years for the soil to be fertile again if there is a proper after-care. But once the soil is fertile, anything grows on it," said Leena Verenkar, Associate General Manager (Environment and CSR). Verenkar said that out of total 203 hectares of land, where iron ore was tapped, 170 hectare has been rehabilitated, rest 30 hectare has a functional mine, which is currently shut after the Supreme Court imposed temporary ban on mining activity in Goa. (MORE) PTI RPS DK RCJ SRE