Mining and the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra)

Beginning in 1999, the Chinese Government conducted a secret 7 year survey of the Tibetan plateau in search of mineral deposits. With an investment of $44 million, the survey led to the discovery of many deposit sites including a seam of copper and gold deposits along the Yarlung Tsangpo (the Brahmaputra in India) gorge.

The Chinese government set about facilitating contracts for extracting deposits from this site (Shethongmon mine). A property option agreement was signed between China NetTV Holdings and a Canadian Company, Continental Minerals.

DIRECT CONSEQUENCES

The primary process of copper and gold mining requires large quantities of water of which the obvious source would be the Yarlung Tsangpo.

The ore is found in conjunction with arsenic laden pyrite. After grinding, the rock is washed with acid that helps separate the ore from the rock. The remnant of this process is a highly acidic mixture consisting of arsenic and cyanide. At times, the process of ore separation is not completely successful with portions of the ore being left behind. This will cause copper contamination when it reaches the groundwater.

INDIRECT CONSEQUENCES

Siltation –

An excess of siltation leads to flooding, a problem already existing in areas along the Brahmaputra. In this project, siltation will happen in the following two ways: first, 300 million tonnes of rock have to be first removed, before reaching the 182 million tonnes of ore, and second, in order to carry out mining, intense deforestation is required to get to the rock containing ore.

Melting of glaciers (Deglaciation) –

The Brahmaputra is only one of the two rivers that are perennial because of their origin in glaciers. Intense mining activities indirectly lead to environmental changes that speed up the melting of glaciers immensely. As the glaciers retreat, the volume of water in the rivers will increase at first causing widespread flooding. They will then go in to a rapid decline reducing the volume and flow of the rivers, making them merely seasonal.

According to a United Nations Development Program (UNDP) climate report, at the current rate of temperature rise the Himalayan glaciers could completely disappear by 2035.

Any industrial mining activity involves the usage of machinery over a long period, and thus the use of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are a major source of greenhouse gases.

The second largest contributor to global warming, Black Carbon has already caused a 7% increase in glacial retreat a year. Black Carbon emissions originate from coal powered stations and diesel engines. A railway line has been built through the Shethongmon mine to carry the ore from the mine site to the smelter.

An estimate has been made that approximately 210,000 tonnes of ore will be transported to the smelter. With a single train being able to carry a maximum of 5,000 tonnes at once, this will mean 42 trains a year or one train a week will be required to carry the ore. Once functional, the fuel will lead to the emission of large amounts of black carbon and thus glacial melting.

Other environmental changes –

The Tibetan plateau serves as an “airshed” for the Asian continent. The northern jetstreams flowing over the Plateau determine the timing and force of the seasonal South Asian monsoons in India. Deforestation on the Plateau will delay and weaken the summer monsoon, endangering the livelihood of millions of farmers who depend on these rains.

with inputs from Reecha Das and Ananya Ramani, SFT India interns (June 2010)

Tibet Third Pole Rally,Delhi University

December 9^th, 2010

Delhi: SFT Delhi staged a silent march in Delhi University, North Campus a day before the Global Climate Change Summit taking place in Cancun, Mexico is scheduled to close.

“Any talk of climate change we feel is incomplete without talk of Tibet,” said Jyotsna George, President of Students for a free Tibet (SFT)’s Delhi Chapter. “The aim of this march is to raise awareness about the critical role of Tibet in any dialogue concerning Climate Change. “

Banners emphasizing Tibet as the ‘Third Pole’ were displayed on the march besides distributing information fliers containing factual details of the major Asian rivers originating from Tibet, rapidly melting glaciers, China’s merciless construction of dams, mining, deforestation, soil erosion and other forms of environmental degradation.

“We condemn Chinese government’s policy to resettle Tibetan nomads who for centuries live in harmony with the nature,” said Rigzin Spalgon, Vice-President of SFT Delhi’s chapter. “The lifestyle of the nomads is ideal for conservation of the environment. The coercive restriction of movement of nomads is directly affecting the Tibetan grasslands.”

The march commenced from the Arts Faculty at two o’clock in the afternoon. The route covered most of the colleges in North Campus: St. Stephen’s, Hindu, Hansraj, Kirori Mal, Ramjas and Shri Ram College of Commerce. Many Indian supporters, particularly from the North-East of India joined the march.  Marchers carried placards reading different slogans: ‘Tibet’s Glaciers are Melting, South Asia is Drying’, ‘Tibet’s Rivers are the Lifeline of Asia’, ‘Stop Mining Tibet’.

En route, many passers-by stopped the student volunteers to enquire about the march.Pedestrians were seen pausing to read the banners and placards. The protesters received encouragement from various people: from rickshaw pullers to busloads of school children to strangers on the road.

The marchers returned to the Swami Vivekananda statue in Arts Faculty where everyone gathered to speak a few words on the issue. SFT India’s Grassroots Coordinator, Shibayan Raha opened the discussion with comments on the aim of the march, climate change in general, with specific emphasis on Tibet. SFT Delhi President Jyotsna George thanked the volunteers for their support and effort, and briefed the gathering on SFT Delhi’s forthcoming events.

MELTDOWN in TIBET

a personal take on the politics of water in Tibet

A film by Michael Buckley

Using undercover footage and stills, Meltdown in Tibet blows the lid off China’s huge and potentially catastrophic dam-building projects in Tibet. The mighty rivers sourced in Tibet are lifelines to the people of India and Southeast Asia. These rivers are at great risk from rapidly receding glaciers—a meltdown accelerated by climate change—and from large-scale damming and diversion, due to massive Chinese engineering projects. To make way for these hydropower projects and for mining ventures, Tibetan nomads are being forced off their traditional grassland habitat—and resettled in bleak villages, where they cannot make a decent living.

The film raises some disturbing questions about a looming eco-disaster. If Himalayan glaciers vanish, what will happen to the rivers of Tibet? What is the fate of people in nations downstream that depend on those rivers? Why is China building so many large dams on the Tibetan plateau? What on earth are China’s engineers getting up to?

Filmmaker: Michael Buckley has long been involved in research on travel to Tibet, with a number of published books. This is his first film approach.

Music by Victor Chorobik   www.chorobik.com