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People & Power
Protecting the mountain
We investigate how mining operations displace tribes from the East Indian state of Orissa.
Last Modified: 15 Jul 2009 10:57 GMT

Watch part two

What will one tribe do to save their forest, their mountains, and their god?

The Niyamgiri hill range in the Indian state of Orissa is like a god to the Dongria Kondh, one of the most remote tribes on the subcontinent. 

Apart from providing the Kondh with everything they need, the mountain is protected by the Indian Wildlife Act, acts as an elephant reserve, and is home to over 300 species of trees and plants.

But the Niyamgiri mountain also contains huge deposits of bauxite, or aluminum ore.

Vedanta, a British-based mining corporation wants to extract it, a process that would destroy the forests the tribe depends on, turning their sacred mountain into an open cast mine.

Sapna Bhatia reports for People & Power on how after a lonely struggle, the world finally took notice of the plight of the Khondh. 

Some of the footage of the Niyamgiri hills provided by Survival International

www.survival-international.org


This episode of People & Power can be seen from Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at the follwing times GMT: Wednesday: 0600, 1230; Thursday: 0130, 1400, 1930; Friday: 0630, 1630; Saturday: 0330, 2030; Sunday: 0030, 0530; Monday: 0830.
Source:
Al Jazeera
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