by Kielly Dunn
P. Madhavan believed that the harmful effects of radiation in the small mining community of Jadugoda were receiving too little attention from the Indian government and the international community. A talented photographer, he put together a photo exhibit to document the suffering in Jadugoda and contrast it with the community of Domiasiat, the site of a planned uranium mine.
The exhibit, “Beyond Headlines: A Photo Exhibition on Uranium Mining, Jadugoda today, Domiasiat tomorrow,” was made possible, in part, by a grant from Global Greengrants Fund and is powerful testimony to the effects unregulated uranium mining can have on a community.
For more than 40 years the Jadugoda mine in Jharkhand province has polluted local water and air. Uranium mining creates enormous amounts of toxic waste, most of it in the form of contaminated slurry that is dumped into reservoirs. Since the reservoirs in Jadugoda were not constructed properly, contaminated water leaks out. The local air also is highly polluted with radioactive dust and poisonous gases.
Through this dramatic series of photographs, Madhavan shows us the effects of this pollution on the local people: a child with scars on his face; a child unable to talk or care for himself; two boys unable to walk. The images from Jadugoda are made even more compelling by the contrast presented in the Domiasiat photographs where we see healthy children and a lush landscape.
The exhibit was displayed for four days in January 2004 in Mumbai as part of the World Social Forum and has brought new attention to the issue. You can see a PDF of Madhavan’s report with photos by clicking here.