On the afternoon of May 16, after heavy rain in Lanjigarh village in India's eastern state of Orissa, a pond storing waste from Vedanta Aluminium Ltd.'s alumina refinery started overflowing into a nearby river, according to local villagers.
- Courtesy of Samarendra Das
- A pond that locals say is filled with red mud from Vedanta Aluminium's refinery in Lanjigarh, Orissa.
The spillage of thick red waste, known as red mud, continued for about an hour until officials from Vedanta Aluminium repaired the wall of the pond, said Samarendra Das, a local filmmaker and activist.
The waste is the toxic byproduct of bauxite – from which aluminum is extracted – and is harmful to people and animals. In October 2010, Hungary declared a state of emergency after red mud flooded the town of Kolontar, killing 10 people.
Mr. Das said that the breach in the Lanjigarh refinery pond is a recurring phenomenon. He blames Vedanta Aluminium, a unit of London-listed Vedanta Resources PLC, for being careless. "They are creating havoc," Mr. Das says.
Vedanta couldn't be reached for comment.
The company's expansion plans in India have been waylaid by environmental concerns raised by both the government and local villages and tribes. Orissa is a sensitive area as many protected tribes live there, but Vedanta still hopes to mine the state's Niyamgiri Hills as well as expand its Lanjigarh re [...]
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