White clay extraction: Ethnic community now in danger

Unbridled white clay extraction in Dhobaura upazila of Mymensingh district has put the ethnic community in danger as it devoured their homestead and way of livelihood, said the civil society platform Nagorik Uddog.

A ten-member team of the platform had toured Dhobaura and Durgapur upazilas from April 8 to 10. The findings were presented yesterday at a briefing held at the Dhaka Reporters Unity.

While clay extraction is suspended in Durgapur upazila of Netrokona district for two years now thanks to a court order, it is going on in full swing in Dhobaura upazila, said Robaet Ferdous, professor of Dhaka University, while presenting the findings.

The white clay extraction in Vedikuri mouja of Dhobaura has caused ecological disaster; jeopardised the livelihood of Hajong, Mandi and other ethnic groups; damaged hills, forests and wildlife; polluted water and imperilled food security, he said quoting the indigenous communities.

A whole community known as Hodi community got obliterated from Durgapur, while there is no trace of 11 families belonging to Hajong community.

Just 11 months ago, the wild rabbit was available there. But it is no more seen in the locality due to clay extraction.

The mining of white clay disrupted agricultural activities as the extraction caused waterlogging.

"The roads are getting damaged and noise pollution increased in the area for the extraction. This area has become totally unliveable," Ferdous said.

The indiscriminate extraction has created a deep gorge, which is prompting landslides in the area, sometimes even killing members of the community.

Since 1974, 37 people died in two upazila by slipping into the gorge.

The platform has put forward ten demands to the government to stop the devastation immediately and protect the indigenous community.

The demands include halting the extraction immediately, compensating and rehabilitating the affected people, restoring the ecological balance in the area, ensuring no adverse effect on the locality during the extraction of white clay, ensuring constant monitoring and listing of the affected people and assessing the damage inflicted upon them.

The companies digging out the area for clay did not get any clearance certificate from the Department of Environment in Mymensingh, Forid Ahmed, divisional director of the DAE in Mymensingh, told The Daily Star.

"Not only that we have raised objection during the meeting," he said, adding that due to court order they could take any action against them.

Mamunur Rashid, deputy director of the Bureau for Mineral Development that oversees the area, told The Daily Star that the companies got a court order to extract clay.