The Anti-Sterlite protests did not start in 2018. It has been raging for 22 long years. This article looks at the situation prior to the police firing on 22 May 2018 and traces the origins of the issue, the pollution and finally the protest. Sources of the data are given throughout the article.

The Beginning: Thrown Out from Other States

Shunted out of Goa, Gujarat and Maharashtra, the then government of Ms.Jayalalitha agreed in 1994 to let Sterlite establish its copper smelter in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu. Right from the word go, Sterlite cut corners and flouted every rule in the book to get past environment protection guidelines. For instance, the company did not even produce an Environmental Impact Assessment report before getting approval. It routinely got clearances from Tamil Nadu state’s Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) based on false information, misrepresentation of facts and with the help of corrupt and conniving government officials.

In spite of widespread protests, the factory was commissioned secretly without even letting the people of Thoothukudi know. In fact, by 2004, the company would have illegally ramped up its production to 164,000 tons against a permitted capacity of 70,000 tons. 

Pollution & Environment Damage

Right from the time of commissioning, the factory started spewing out high concentrations of Sulphur dioxide (SO2) into the atmosphere.

• On the 5th of July 1997, 160 women workers from an adjacent dry flower factory (Ramesh Flowers) fainted due to excessive SO2 in the air.
• On August 20 of the same year, workers in a distribution center belonging to the state electricity board (TNEB) were hospitalized for nausea and vomiting.
• On the 2nd of March, 1999, staff from the nearby All India Radio station complained of severe breathing issues and nausea 
• On January 2001, following heavy rains, villages found that flood waters were contaminated with arsenic. 

These periodic issues went on for a long time. And then came the turning point on March 23, 2013 when the whole population of Thoothukudi woke up to the danger of Sterlite: toxic gas leaked from the plant causing widespread panic in the city. Reeling from the effects of the toxic gas, people choked, had breathing difficulties, soreness in the throat and red eyes. It was contained and there were huge efforts to hush up the matter. 

In 2015, copper slag dumped by Sterlite caused flooding in Thoothukudi and its surroundings, affecting hundreds of families. The smelter slag, which is a significant environmental and health hazard, also contaminated water resources including the Uppar river.

Fatal accidents have been a routine matter inside the plant. On May 3, 1997 a pipeline carrying Sulphur acid burst and charred a worker to death. In April 1998, six workers were burnt to death in a factory accident. At least 13 deaths have been documented since 2000 amidst countless other severe injury reports.

A Shameful verdict

Meanwhile, in November 1998, stating that the environmental clearances given by the State Government were invalid, the Madras High Court ordered the plant’s closure. Sterlite appealed and employed every trick in the book to prolong the case. After studies by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) proved that noxious effluents discharged in the air by Sterlite had a devastating effect on the environment, the Madras High Court again ordered the closure of the plant in 2010.

Sterlite appealed to the Supreme Court of India and in what many consider a lenient and shameful verdict, while agreeing that the company misrepresented and suppressed material facts, the Supreme Court allowed the plant to operate because they “contribute substantially to copper production in India” (https://indiankanoon.org/doc/26352158/)

At the same time, acknowledging that Sterlite indeed pollute, the Supreme Court invoked the ‘polluter pays’ principle and slapped a fine of Rupees 100 crore ($14 million) on them. It is pertinent to note that the amount was peanuts for the company – it’s annual report of 2017 stated that Sterlite made a net profit of US$ 293 million!

Subsequently, in a sad comedy of sorts, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) declared that Sterlite is “neither a pollutant nor is in threat of future pollution (sic)” and allowed it to continue operating its Thoothukudi plant.

Let see in the next section how Sterlite wrecked the ecosystem surrounding Thoothukudi.

Profits for Me. Pollution For You

One of the biggest challenges in the case against Sterlite is that there are no proper records. There are no baselines, measurements are tampered with and numbers are routinely fudged. This is always ensured by the unholy nexus between corrupt officials and industrialists. Even studies by supposedly national agencies (like NEERI) are suspect because they were mostly funded by Sterlite. That being said, here are specific evidences that show pollution trends and the resulting environmental damage.

The business model for Sterlite is simple: Import copper ore from Australia, export extracted copper and other precious metals (aka, everything that has a value) and dump the left-overs (aka unextractable toxic, poisonous material that don’t have value or too expensive to extract) in Thoothukudi soil. It also pollutes the town in the process of extraction – releasing poisonous fumes of Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) and other contaminants. 

Let us look at a few specific instances against a litany of issues. 

Air Pollution

Sterlite has installed a second-hand smelter in it's factory (claiming it as world-class) which inherently causes pollution. Moreover, against regulations, the height of their chimney stack is not commensurate with the capacity of copper and sulphuric acid they produce or the pollutants they emit.

If the chimney is not tall enough, it will not allow pollutants to disperse properly. For a production of 40,000 tons, the required chimney height is 69 meters. However, Sterlite started off with a 60m chimney and stuck with it even as their production levels went up to 400,000 tons per annum.

On the morning of March 23, 2013, toxic gas leaked from the plant causing widespread panic in the city. Reeling from the effects of the toxic gas, people choked, had breathing difficulties, soreness in the throat and red eyes.  It is estimated that on this day, the ambient air quality (SO2 load) over Thoothukudi ranged between 803.5 ppm (parts per million) and 1,023.6 ppm, against a prescribed upper safe level of 477.53 ppm. TNPCB records indicate that the air contained 2,941 micro grams per cubic meter of SO2 against permissible levels of 1250 micro grams per cubic meter.

In short, Sterlite installed a second-hand smelter and claimed it was world-class. They flouted regulations by not installing a chimney stack of the proper height , commensurate with the pollutants they emit

https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-copper-smelter-used-unlawful-chimneys-new-report-slams-tnpcb-80514

Land Pollution

Rain-fed farming in Kumarettiyapuram and adjoining villages of Sterlite have all but vanished. It is no longer possible to see farmlands with, pulses and maize that these villagers used to grow. The land has not only turned barren, it has also been severely contaminated with toxic waste from the Sterlite plant. Cattle farming has all but disappeared along with the fodder crops the farmers used to grow. 

A document authored in 2010 by Dr. Mark Chernaik of the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide, categorically stated that “..copper smelting facilities have adverse environmental impacts that can extend for several tens of kilometers”. 

The document conclusively demonstrated that the smelting complex in Thoothukudi “is endangering human health and the environment and contaminating water supplies”. It also found toxic quantities of arsenic, cadmium, nickel and sulfates in soil samples from villages adjoining Sterlite Copper. The document highlighted that poisonous substances caused death in livestock and had adverse effects on the health of the local villagers, even at that time. 

Guidelines for Arsenic in residential soil state that it should not exceed 43 mg/Kg. Soil samples from Therku Veerapandiyapuram provided an Arsenic value of 532 mg / Kg  

TNPCB has revealed that about 3.52 lakh tons (352,000 tons) of copper slag have been dumped by Sterlite at one particular site during their inspection. It is common knowledge that Sterlite had dumped mountains of copper slag along the Thoothukudi – Thirunelveli high way. The slag dumping has contaminated water resources including in the Uppar river. Note that smelter slags is a significant environmental and health hazard. 

Reports state that the slag dumping worsened the historic floods in 2015 which affected hundreds of families in the region:  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/slag-dumping-at-riverbank-from-sterlite-plant-worsened-2015-floods/articleshow/63982694.cms

According to a Thoothukudi revenue department official, hundreds of families were affected in the region due to flooding in the Uppar stream. On July 28, 2016, in a review meeting chaired by then Thoothukudi collector M Ravikumar it was pointed out that the residents were distressed due to the flooding caused by overflow of the stream where copper slag was dumped on the banks of the river. Representatives from Sterlite Copper and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) were also present in the meeting. The company representatives had assured the district administration of clearing the copper slag with immediate effect

https://www.vikatan.com/news/tamilnadu/124759-sterlite-factory-waste-dumped-in-road-side.html

TNPCB has further charged that Sterlite has failed to record data relating to the pollution caused by the smelter to the groundwater in the vicinity. It had also failed to collect Arsenic contamination in ground water. This is one of its favorite tricks – either ensure the data is wrong or there is no data at all. At the same time independent studies have confirmed how the concentration of Arsenic and other heavy metals have increased. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13201-015-0301-3

Further reading on pollution & environment damage caused by Sterlite Copper

• Air pollution - https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-here-s-proof-data-air-pollution-and-case-missing-trees-78841
• Water - https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-here-s-proof-data-how-smelter-likely-cause-water-pollution-79055
• Health: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-here-s-proof-how-copper-plant-impacts-health-thoothukudi-people-78772
• https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-here-s-proof-data-how-smelter-likely-cause-water-pollution-79055
• A Central minister testifies: https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/sterlite-approached-me-deal-union-minister-pon-radhakrishnan-79742

Health Issues: Copper for Me. Cancer For You

Sterlite was never transparent about its operations, the pollution it caused, the environmental impact and the resulting risks to human life. Combine this with a low level of environmental awareness and you have a lethal combination. This is what has happened in Thoothukudi - only over a period of time did people started to notice and faced the reality of health issues.

The initial effects were largely ignored as they were only visible in the immediate vicinity of the Sterlite plant - scorched earth, loss of crop and livestock. However, health issues began to pop-up periodically and once the common vector – Sterlite was identified, there was a torrent of health complaints. 

Consider these anecdotal evidences:

Thoothukudi has one of the highest incidents of cancer

A good percentage of patients admitted in cancer treatment centers in Madurai, Chennai and Trivandrum are from Thoothukudi.

Very alarming.

Sterlite and it’s supporters, of course, have conveniently blamed life-style factors, for example eating fried parottas as if it was the staple food of the people of Thoothukudi.

As we have mentioned before, one of the biggest challenges in the case against Sterlite is that there are no proper records. There are no baselines, measurements are tampered with and numbers are routinely fudged. Health records have been brazenly extinguished thanks to the unholy nexus between company officials and corrupt service providers. 

Thankfully, there is one report which has survived the data purge. A group of doctors with conscience, from the Thirunelveli Medical College had done a meticulous study to understand the impact of Sterlite’s pollution on the health of the residents of Thoothukudi and it’s surroundings: https://poromboke.files.wordpress.com/2018/03/health-report-sterlite_edited.pdf

Noted activist Nityanand Jayaraman has written an article in The News Minute, summarizing the findings of the report, which is reproduced here:

1. Iron content in the groundwater in Kumarettiyapuram and Therku Veerapandiapuram, the site of the ongoing protests, were 17 and 20 times higher than permissible levels prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standards for drinking water. 

Continuous exposure to iron through drinking water could result in chronic fatigue, joint pain, and abdominal pain.

2. At 13.9%, respiratory diseases were significantly more prevalent in the areas surrounding the factory than in areas without industry and this was much higher compared to the state average. The incidence of asthmatic bronchitis is 2.8%, more than double the state average of 1.29%. 

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways lining caused by long-term exposure to environmental irritants such as tobacco smoke, dust or chemicals. Asthma is a condition where the muscles around the airways get tight resulting in the narrowing of the airways. Asthmatic bronchitis is a condition where asthma and bronchitis occur together.

The report finds that “The increased prevalence rate of asthma and respiratory infections are due to the air pollution caused by industries and automobiles in the area.”

3. The study also found that there were more people suffering from Ear, Nose, Throat (ENT) disorders near the factory. Among the ENT diseases, pharyngitis and sinusitis were very high. “Climatic conditions and atmospheric pollution could be the cause for the prevalence of ENT morbidity,” the report concluded.

4. Myalgia, or general body pain, was another widely reported symptom in the study area closer to the factory.

5. “Women in the [study] area had more menstrual disorders, like menorrhagiae and dysmenorrhagiae. . .it needs an in-depth study,” the report stated.

This study had disturbing findings, since the high incidence of respiratory diseases found in 2007 was at a time when Sterlite was running at less than half its current production levels. Respiratory diseases are an indicator of air pollution which has been identified as the “world's largest single environmental health risk” by the World Health Organisation. WHO reports that in 2012, around 7 million people died – one in eight global deaths – as a result of air pollution exposure.

Key Reasons for 22 May 2018 Protests

1. For 22 long years, Sterlite has POLLUTED Thoothukudi with the help of CORRUPT officials and GREEDY politicians and by flouting rules & regulations.
2. SO2 emissions from its low stack has polluted the Air; Arsenic and Cadmium from their waste disposal has contaminated the groundwater and destroyed fishery resources as they reach the sea.
3. Sterlite’s assault on the environment has resulted in numerous health issues including CANCER
4. Last Straw: Sterlite wanted to illegally double it’s capacity and cause more pollution and environment damage