WEEKLY

OMAN
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oud dynamite ex-
plosions rattle their
doors so often in the
middle of the night.
Children get up
from bed abruptly
and appear con-
fused and disori-
ented. Thick dust
flls the air and hovers around the vil-
lage causing severe breathing prob-
lems for all. Some cough up blood,
some get asphyxiated, and as dawn
breaks, they are taken to the nearest
health centre for medical attention
It cannot get worse than this for the
villagers of Modam!
Residents of Modam, about 30 km
west of Salalah and surrounded by
mountains, however, love to cherish
the days when they lived a happy life.
They reared goats and camels, col-
lected resin from the frankincense
trees to make a living. During the
Khareef, they were joined by people
form the hilly areas of Al Mughsayl
and Adonib. And the entire village
used to wear a festive look each year.
It was in 2002 that their lives
changed forever, thanks to the advent
of mining companies, who identifed
the rich limestone deposits in the
mountains. They detonated dyna-
mites to raze the mountains, crushed
the limestone and took it to Salalah
port for ferrying it to countries like
India, China, Taiwan, where Oman
limestone is in huge demand.
Now the villagers complain that
highly infuential mining compa-
nies, which continue exploiting the
natural resources, pay scant atten-
tion to their health and the environ-
ment. They also allege that these
frms fout many of the guidelines
by the Ministry of Environment and
Climate Afairs.
The ministry stipulates that min-
ing can be done if the location is more
than 3 kms from the place of human
inhabitation. But our village is just
2.4 kilomtres away from the mining
felds. It is a clear violation of the
rules, said an enraged Ali Hawas Al
Amri, a resident of the village.
Frankly, we never expected that
the companies would make our lives
so miserable. When they began min-
ing, we thought they would move to
some other places very soon. But,
they havent, he said.
The excavation works continued
and mountain after mountain got
erased. On one hand, the owners of
the companies became richer while,
on the other, the health of the people
became precarious, says Ali.
Around 100 trucks carrying lime-
stone ply on the dusty roads of Mo-
dam everyday. It causes noise as well
as air pollution. At least, they should
have laid asphalt on the road to re-
duce the pollution, he said. Moreo-
ver, the over-speeding trucks pose a
big danger to children in the village.
One would expect the children
to be happy and cheerful when they
go to school. But our children dont
enjoy those trips. For, they have to
be extra cautious while trudging
the dust-filled road. They know
a momentary lapse can prove fa-
tal. It is a tightrope walk for them,
quite literally. We are also worried.
Recently, one of the trucks mowed
down five camels. So, we ask our
children to be vigilant while walk-
ing on the road, Ali said.
The ministry has given them per-
mission to do mining in certain ar-
eas. Of late, we noticed that they have
crossed the specifed boundaries
without permission, he alleged.
Health hazards
So its easy to understand why chil-
dren in Modam are complaining of
breathing trouble and skin allergies.
The limestone is crushed in an open
area. The wind takes the dust particles
to our village, said Musallam Hawas
Al Aamri, an environmental activist.
At least one child in each house
sufers from breathing difculties.
Various types of allergies, sneezing
and headache are common here. One
person recently died of lung cancer.
It gave us a rude shock. To add to our
worries, two others were diagnosed
with lung cancer a couple of weeks
ago. Medical experts doubt air pollu-
tion as the reason for the increasing
number of cancer cases, he said.
Activists feel mining caused irre-
versible damages to the environment
too. Over the last nine years, around
4,000 frankincense trees were de-
stroyed in the mountains close to the
village. Frankincense trees are part of
our heritage. Many people earn their
living collecting its resin. So the de-
struction caused huge revenue losses
to the local people, he said.
A keen watcher of the environ-
ment, Musallam recently noticed the
disappearance of the Wadi in his vil-
lage. The Wadi is now covered with
limestones. It is a serious crime to
block it. Cattle, camels and goats used
to quench their thirst from the Wadi.
It might lead to fooding, Musallam
said. He also alleged that mining ac-
tivities resulted in the destruction
Nine years of unhindered limestone mining has
robbed Modam village of its mountains, fora,
fauna and the livelihood options of its inhabitants.
T. A. Ameerudheen fnds out that the plume
of dust emanating from the mining felds is
threatening the very existence of 40 families
in the vicinity
MINE OF
WORRIES
Limestone, large deposits of which
are found in Dhofar, is a sedimentary
rock composed largely of the miner-
als calcite and aragonite, which are
different crystal forms of calcium
carbonate (CaCO3). Many lime-
stones are composed from skeletal
fragments of marine organisms such
as coral or foraminifera. Oman is one
of the major exporters of limestone
in the world as the deposits of
various characteristics are found
in different parts of the Sultanate.
Oman limestone is used as a building
material, as an aggregate to form
the base of roads, white pigment or
fller in products such as toothpaste,
paints and as a chemical feedstock.
Limestone of low silica and with a
physical property known as Decrepi-
tation Index is in huge demand in
steel production.
Omans naturaL rEsOurcE
The Great Pyramid of Giza, one of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World; its outside cover is made
entirely from limestone.
WEEKLY
OMAN
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WEEKLY
OMAN
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of many caves. The destruc-
tion of the caves became ram-
pant these days. Local people
use these caves to keep frank-
incense resin during summer.
During the rainy season, it be-
comes a temporary shelter for
the livestock, he said.
Wildlife like Arabian
leopard, nubian, Ibex, rock
rabbit and lin often cross the
Athkartheet mountains. If
mining continues here, it will
pose a serious threat to the
their very existence.
Demand
The villagers waited patiently
seven long years in the hope
that the government would
take measures to stop min-
ing. But nothing happened in
their favour.
When they ran out of pa-
tience in 2009, a delegation
comprising fve sheikhs from
the region travelled to Mus-
cat to present their grievanc-
es before the Minister of En-
vironment. The mi ni ster
formed a committee to look
into the issue. The panel vis-
ited Modam and submitted a
report. Then the ministry in-
structed the mi ni ng com-
pani es to stop their opera-
tions within six months. But,
the mining companies were
lucky to get interim exten-
sion. It continues even now,
said Sheikh Yasser Awadh
Hawas Al Amri, who led the
delegation. We request the
ministry and the government
to take immediate steps to
stop mining in our village. It
is giving a lot of trouble for
the people. We have been
suffering for the last nine
years and its time to end our
miseries. We dont want to
live like this anymore. Peo-
ple now fear that the min-
ing companies will move
to some of the mountains
close to their home. Moreo-
ver, our village is close to Al
Mughasayl beach, which is
one of the best tourist desti-
nations in the Sultanate.
If mining continues, it will af-
fect the tourismindustry inDho-
far region during the Khareef
season,Yasser asserted.
Cause for concern
Meanwhile, the Environment
Society of Oman (ESO) has
raised concern about the re-
newal of mining permits with-
out adequate monitoring of
the sites. The rules and regu-
lations are not being adhered
to regarding Environmental
Impact Assessments (EIA).
The fact that environmental
permits are renewed without
adequate monitoringis a cause
for concern, said ESO vice-
president Dr. Mehdi Jafer.
Dr. Mohsin Al Amri, a board
member with the ESO, who
hails from Dhofar region, feels
the dust from the quarries in-
hibit natural photosynthesis
in plants. The dust forms a
layer on the plant leaves and
it inhibits the natural photo-
synthesis process. The seeds
of plants are afected and it
impairs growth. The dust also
depletes the topsoil where in-
sects and nutrients form a lay-
er. The topsoil normally takes
over 1,000 years to form and is
necessary for the fora to live
and grow, Dr Mohsin said.
The loud sound from the
quarries scares wild animals
away and it forces them to
leave the area. The areas that
are excavated get stripped of
natural vegetation. It afects
the health of livestock and
wild animals. The excavation
also changes the very dynam-
ics of the biodiversity in the
area, he added.
ESO ofcials said the soci-
ety is listening to the people
and ofers advice and assist-
ance. We need to reconsider
mining sites by appraising
the existing situation. New
mining sites can be allocated
only after conducting a study.
Permission for the new quar-
ries should be granted after
conducting environmental
impact study. The authorities
should take into consideration
the uniqueness of the region
and the rich biodiversity in
Dhofar, which has too many
mines. The community should
be engaged in the process and
their concerns addressed,
said Dr Mehdi.
ameerudheen@hioman.com
time to act
Sheikh Yasser
Awadh Hawas Al Amri
Despite our repeated pleas to the
government, it is sad to note that
mining is continuing in our village.
We traveled all the way to Muscat
to make our representation to the
Ministry of Environment in 2009.
But our best eforts went in vain
and the mine owners had the last
laugh. They are raking in the moolah
by selling our natural resources to
foreign countries. Our request to the
government is to step in immedi-
ately and ask the companies to stop
limestone mining.
Musallam Said
Hawas Al Amri
The mining companies are destroy-
ing my village. They have already
razed down a couple of mountains,
which are close to our homes, using
dynamites. Now they are eyeing to
demolish others to make maximum
proft. They already destroyed
thousands of trees during the last
nine years. I am so concerned about
the wild animals in Athkartheet
mountains. The government should
intervene in the issue urgently.
Ali Said Al Amri
The two companies, which carry
out the mining activities close to our
village, are making our lives miser-
able. They pay scant attention to our
health. Children from our village
sufer from allergies and breathing-
related illnesses. One of my close
relatives died of lung cancer and two
other were recently diagnosed with
the same disease. The government
should stand with us in this struggle.
We cannot understand why the
Ministry of Environment gives mine
owners extensions to carry out their
activities.
Ahmed Salim Al Amri
Its hard to imagine why the mining
companies chose to carry out their
operations close to our village when
there are plenty of such mountains
far away. They want to continue
mining in Modam, perhaps, because
it is close to the port and they can
save a lot of money on transporta-
tion. The trucks that carry the
limestone to the Salalah port are
also threatening our lives. They do
not obey the trafc rules. Most of the
vehicles fout the speed restrictions
to save time. I am concerned about
the safety of our children.
Ahmed Mohammed Al Amri
The mining has resulted in the
destruction of thousands of frankin-
cense trees in the mountains. From
my childhood, I used to collect resin
from those areas. These trees are
very special for the people in the
Dhofar region. The destruction has
afected the resin yield and it has
come down to half over the last nine
years. It has afected our livelihood.
They have also demolished many
caves where we used to take our
goats and camels during the Khareef
season. They even blocked the Wadi,
which is the lifeline of our village.
PREVIOUS PAGE: The remnant of a huge mountain that was razed down by the limestone mining companies in Modamvillage ABOVE: A camel walks past the mining site.
OPPOSITE PAGE CLOCKWISE: Modamvillage in full bloomduring Khareef season. This picture was taken before the advent of mining companies. Photos: T AAmeerudheen &MusallamAl Amri