Mining is not done just by corporations or companies, neither do the practices imply the extraction of highly valuable minerals and metal ores such as gold and gemstones such as diamonds.
Throughout the third world, millions of people make a livelihood by extracting minerals through diverse informal practices. Internationally these informal modes of mineral extraction are collectively known as ‘Artisanal and Small-scale Mining’ or ASM in brief. A large number of people’s livelihoods are based on mineral resource extraction: estimates can vary widely by millions; an ILO study in 1999 put the figure at 13 million, and observed that this number is increasing. The ILO report (1999: 25) also notes:
…the impact of structural adjustment programs, low commodity prices or drought on private and public sector employment, trading, farming and inflation has led many people, especially women who relied on subsistence agriculture to seek new, alternative or additional paid employment for better quality of life, more usually just to survive.
A more recent information puts the figure at 23 million.
ASM involves digging, cutting, shovelling, panning, washing, sorting, amalgamating, burning, carrying on head loads, transporting by other means, and such other processes to extract and obtain minerals or metals from the earth. In many parts of the Asia-Pacific region, these practices are often a continuation of traditional modes of life, but can also be a result of recent developments, as peasants leave the agricultural or forest sector in search of more secure or seasonal cash incomes, or as developmental projects displace traditional ways of lives and incomes. These innumerable small mines and quarries are part of the ‘unorganised’ sector, a part of the informal economies of these countries.
The strong anti-mining movements led by the pro-environment groups in South Asia have tended to overlook the question of livelihoods of the large numbers of people involved in ASM. However, there are also important instances of locally based Non-Governmental Organisations working with mine workers in various locations.
Professor Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt
Kuntala was trained in Human Geography at the Calcutta University in India and taught in Burdwan University before joining the ANU in 2002. Kuntala teaches courses on Gender and Development (ANTH 8038/39) and EMDV8013 Development and Environment in the Anthropocene in the second semester every year. Read More…
ASM requires strong linkages with Government and other legal institutions for stronger policy development.
In March 2007 a Consultation Meeting was held in New Delhi at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) jointly with MLPC, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, mines, minerals and PEOPLE. The consultation was primarily amongst the groups working in the ASM sector in different parts of the country. The objective of the meeting was to identify the issues in the ASM sector in India and to find the ways forward to develop a course of action.
In August 2008, there was another ‘Dialogue across Boundaries’ held at the Anil Agarwal Hall of CSE. This dialogue focused on building partnership between social science researchers, activists and trade unionists working on various issues relating to mining in India. Further meetings are taking place. Reports from these meetings and other documents produced can be found here.
Title | Year | Author | Country | Type | Keywords |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dialogue across Boundaries | 2008 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | meeting report | meeting, NGO, academia, activists |
Managing the Social and Environmental Consequences of Coal mining in India | 2007 | The Indian School of Mines University in association with University of New South Wales and The Aust | India, Australia | Conference Announcement | coal mining |
Report First National Level Consultative Meeting on ASM | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | report | consultation |
Title | Year | Author | Country | Type | Keywords |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
'Digging to Survive' - Article on gender & ASM in South Asian Survey | 2009 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | gender, livelihoods, quarries, South Asia | |
01 Case Study - The Duyun ASM Owner Association: A Model for ChinaÕs Small-Scale Miners | 2007 | Lei Shen | China | Case Study | Zinc, Guizhou province, cooperative, management practices, environment, community |
02 Case Study - Women Workers in Mica-Manufacturing Industry of Giridih, Jharkhand | 2007 | Molly Chattopadhyay | India | Case Study | Jharkand, Mica, women, gender, wages, livelihood |
03 Case Study - Illegal Gold Mining in West Java Ð Can AntamÕs Community Development Programs Win Over Cynical Locals? | 2007 | Nina Indriati Lestari | Indonesia | Case Study | Gold, West Java, illegal, community, livelihood |
04 Case Study - Illegal Coal Mining in South Kalimanatan - A Mining Company Confronts PETI Operations through Engagement | 2007 | Nina Indriati Lestari | Indonesia | Case Study | Coal, South Kalimantan, partnership, illegal, environment |
05 Case Study - ICMLÕs Sarishatali Coal Mine, West Bengal, India: Solving Environmental Problems through BPD | 2007 | Ajoy Konar | India | Case Study | Coal, West Bengal, environment, partnership, community |
06 Case Study - The Right to Say No Ð Model for Community Activism, the BIRSA Mines Monitoring Centre, Jharkhand, India | 2007 | Xavier Dias | India | Case Study | indigenous, community, public awareness, local resistance, land |
07 Case Study - Voices of Adivasi Women: Protesting Displacement and Destruction of Naihar, Parej East Coalmine, Jharkhand, India | 2007 | Gustav Imam | India | Case Study | Coal, Jharkand, women, gender, indigenous, environment, community, livelihood, human rights |
08 Case Study - Protection the Rights of JethwaiÕs Mineworkers - An MLPC Intervention, Rajasthan, India | 2007 | Rana Sengupta | India | Case Study | Stone, Rajasthan, women, gender, livelihood, community, safety, public awareness |
09 Case Study - PRASARÕs Fight for Rights of Delhi's Silicosis Sufferers: Grassroot organization improves lives of former stone-crushers | 2007 | SA Azad | India | Case Study | Stone, New Delhi, health, Silicosis, NGO, community |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Manzoor Khoda | Bangladesh | Case Study | Stone, Sylhet, health, livelihood, rights, community, women, child labour |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Dr Jayalakshmi | India | Case Study | Andhra Pradesh, child labour, NGO, livelihood, education, community |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Nesar Ahmead | India | Case Study | Stone, Himachal Pradesh, community, empowerment, indigenous, environment, livelihood, mine closure |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Daniele Moretti | Papua New Guinea | Case Study | Gold, Morobe Province, livelihood, gender, community, environment, health, safety, project |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | M. Bhagyalakshmi | India | Case Study | Ore, Karnataka, women, gender, exploitation, community, livelihood |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Rana Sengupta | India | Case Study | Rajasthan, women, gender, exploitation, Silicosis, health, community |
10 Case Study - BholagonjÕs Stone Quarry Workers Ð A Life of Constant Struggle, Sylhet, Bangladesh | 2007 | Debojyoti Das | India | Case Study | Uranium, Coal, Meghalaya, indigenous, community, livelihood, environment |
1st International Conference - Managing the Social and Environmental Consequences of Coal Mining in | 2007 | The Indian School of Mines University, University of New South Wales and The Australian National Uni | India | conference announcement | coal mining, social, environment, accountability, policy |
A Perspective on Community and State Interests in Small-scale Mining in the Indian Context | 2005 | Mrinal K. Ghose | India | conference paper | policy, social, women, livelihood, poverty alleviation, indigenous people, gender equity, health |
Application of remote sensing to identify coalfires in the Raniganj Coalbelt, India | 2005 | Prasun K Gangopadhyay, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt, Kanika Saha | India | published paper | remote sensing, coal, illegal, coalfires, approach |
Artisanal and Small Mines: Basal and Bauxite Mines in Maharasthra | 2006 | Dr D Parthasarathy, IIT Bombay | India | sponsored case study | basalt, bauxite, maharasthra, quarries |
Artisanal and Small-scale Mining -Chapter 13 | 2007 | MMSD | Global | report | environment, health, social, partnership, sustainable development |
ASM study report | 2005 | Rahul Ramagundam | India | case study | Madhya Pradesh, bauxite, dolomite, ore, marbles |
ÔMay God Give Us Chaos, So That We Can PlunderÕ: A critique of Ôresource curseÕ and conflict | 2006 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | published paper | informal mining, communities, illegal, Indian collieries, resource curse, resource conflicts |
Balbalan Gold Rush | 2005 | Royce Lingbawan interviewed by Natividad Sugguiyao | Philippines | conference paper | gold, NGO, indigenous |
Benguet Corporation's Acupan contract mining project: mining in partnership with the community | 2005 | Isabelo Velez | Philippines | conference paper | legality, health, pollution |
Bibliography of ASM in PNG | 2007 | Daniele Moretti | Papua New Guinea | Bibliography | |
Coalmining Industry at the Crossroads: Coal policy in liberalising India | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | conference paper | coal, policy, privatisation, market |
Community and State Interests in Small-scale Mininig: Sharing experiences from the Asia-Pacific region | 2005 | conference program | |||
Consensus-Building for Sustainable Development | 2005 | Edgardo Garca Larralde | South America | conference abstract | conflict resolution, sustainable development, consensus |
Dialogue across Boundaries | 2008 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | meeting report | meeting, NGO, academia, activists |
Digging to Survive: Women's Livelihoods in South Asia's Small Mines and Quarries | 2008 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India/South Asia | journal article | women, gender, informal sector, livelihoods, civil society action |
Fair Trade in Indian Natural stone Industry | 2009 | Mine Labour Protection Campaign | India | Natural Stone, Child Labour, Fair Trade, Rajasthan | |
Gender & Livelihoods in ASM in India | 2009 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | ASM, India, Women, Gender, livelihoods | |
Gender and Bondage in Mining Small Mines and Quarries | 2005 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | paper | bonded labour, child labour |
Gender in ASM: An Overview | 2004 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | Asia-Pacific | conference presentation | working conditions, gender sensitization, inequalities, community |
Gender Issues in ASM Communities in Wau/Bulolo areas of Morobe Province in PNG | 2005 | Jennifer Krimbu | Papua New Guinea | conference paper | women, communities, health, education, quality of life, rights, security |
Girls in Mining - Research Findings from Ghana, Niger, Peru, and Tanzania | 2007 | International Labour Organisation (ILO) | Ghana, Niger, Peru, Tanzania | working paper | gender, child labour, exploitation |
Global report on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining | 2002 | Thomas Hentschel, Felix Hruschka, Michael Priester | Bolivia, Peru, Germany | published report | global, policy, livelihood, employment, environment, gender, child labour |
Gold Panners of Ghatsila | 2007 | Ajoy Konar | India | sponsored case study | gold panning, informal networks, women, subarnarekha river |
Illegal Coal Mining in Eastern India: Rethinking Legitimacy and Limits of Justice | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | published article | illegal, coal, environment, mining laws |
Impacts of Coal Mining on Women in India | 1999 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | impacts, women, gender, mining, India, coal | |
Introduction to the workshop - Opening Remarks to the Manila Learning Event | 2005 | Demetrio L. Ignacio | Philippines | conference paper | |
Issues and Recommendations related to Small-scale Mining in Mindanao | 2005 | Eduardo Cayabyab | Philippines | conference paper | livelihood, silver, gold, mercury, health, environment, legality |
Limestone quarries of Chaibasa | 2005 | Ajor Konar | India | Sponsored report | limestone, artisanal, eastern India, Jharkhand |
Livelihood Issues and Concerns of Women and Men in Small Mines and Quarries of South Asia | 2005 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | original report/ ASARC working paper | gender, informal mining, overview |
Managing the Social and Environmental Consequences of Coal mining in India | 2007 | The Indian School of Mines University in association with University of New South Wales and The Aust | India, Australia | Conference Announcement | coal mining |
Mica Mining in Jharkhand | 2005 | Dr Mrinal K. Ghose | India | sponsored report | mica, government, production, geology |
Mines, Minerals, Marbles | 2005 | Rahul Ramagundam | India | case study | ore, Madhya Pradesh |
Mining Education and Training for Sustainable Indigenous Community Development | 2005 | Mike Katz | Australia | conference paper | indigenous, training, research |
Mongolia Ñ from Zero to 100,000 Small-scale Miners in less than 10 years | 2005 | Peter W. Uitterdijk Appel | Mongolia | conference paper | coal, fluorspar, gold, mercury, health problem |
Nepal Report | 2005 | Ajor Konar | Nepal | Sponsored case study | nepal, lalitpur, stone quarry, gender, economic |
Organising the Unorganised - Mine Labour Protection Campaign | 2006 | Bahar Dutt | campaign report | informal mining, quarry workers, unorganised sector | |
Prasar Handbook on Silicosis | 2010 | S. A. Azad | India | silicosis, labour rules, india, occupational health | |
Prasar Handbook on Silicosis | 2010 | S. A. Azad | India | silicosis, labour rules, india, occupational health | |
Rajasthan - A report on ASM | 2005 | Rana Sengupta | India | sponsored case study | rajasthan, sandstone, soapstone, quarries, exploitation, bondage |
Report First National Level Consultative Meeting on ASM | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | report | consultation |
Report of Consultative Meet in New Delhi | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | Report of National Meeting | consultation meeting, New Delhi, mining, India |
Researching the Livelihood Strategies of Artisanal and Small-scale Miners in India and other countries of South Asia: Some Lessons from the Field | 2005 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | conference paper | poverty, livlihood, gender, India |
Role Rigmarole: Miner Miner | 2005 | Gagan Goyal | India | conference paper | coal, minerals, permission process |
Small-scale Mining in Benguet: Tribal and Modern | 2005 | Lomino Kaniteng | Philippines | conference paper | policy, regulations, community |
Social and Gender Issues in the Stone Quarries Around Ranchi city, Jharkhand, India | 2006 | Nitish Priyadarshi | India | case study | Jharkhand, hard rock mining |
Stone Quarries - Occupational Hazard and Safety | 2006 | S. A. Azad | India | sponsored case study | delhi, stone quarries, silicosis, occupational hazard, dust, environmental impacts |
Stone quarries in Dumka and Pakur | 2006 | Ajoy Konar | India | case study | stone quarries, forest dependent people, tribals, west bengal, jharkhand |
The pressure of migrant illegal miners in local community dynamics: Pongkor Gold Mining Case, 1998 | 1998 | Tri Nuke Pudjiastuti | Indonesia | conference paper | legality, gold |
The Problem of Health and Safety Issues in Gold mining Communities in Kalimantan | 2005 | Ricardi S. Adnan | Indonesia | conference paper | gold, safety, environment |
The Shifting Gender of Gold: Assessing Female Participation in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining among the Anga of Mt Kaindi, PNG | 2005 | Daniele Moretti | Papua New Guinea | conference paper | gold, gender, livelihood |
The Trend in Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Development in Papua New Guinea | 2005 | Howard Lole | Papua New Guinea | conference paper | gold, independence, policy, regulations |
Traditional Small-scale Miners: Current issues and impact on our culture | 2005 | Nena Liyo | Philippines | conference paper | gender, livelihood, copper, gold |
Training of Small-scale Miners in safe Handling of Mercury | 2005 | Peter Appel (carried out by Maximo T. Kalaw) | Philippines | project report | training, gold, mercury, health |
White Asbestos | 2006 | Gopal Krishna | India | Published Article from the Internet, India Together | asbestos, safety, health, livelihoods |
Women in Mining - Voices for Change - A vision for a better future | 2005 | John Strongman, Adriana Eftimie, Graeme Hancock | PNG | conference presentation | community development, gender, survey, conference, empowerment |
Women in mining in India | 2007 | Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | India | mining & quarrying, India, Census data, women's status | |
2008 | Sophie Dowling Under the Supervision of Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt | Indonesia | Case Study | ||
A Manual of Social Impact Assessment of Mining Projects |