DEHRADUN: Soapstone mining in Uttarakhand’s Bageshwar district is emerging as a serious threat to homes, farmland and lives, with residents reporting land subsidence, widening cracks and damage to buildings in areas affected by underground and open-cast operations.
Sources told TNIE that Prem Ram, an ex-serviceman from Kanda, is battling to protect his house and land. He served in the Indian Army during the 1965, 1967 and 1971 conflicts.
Ram alleges that ground movement intensified after soapstone mining began above his home, leaving visible fissures and damaging a few houses belonging to his family.
“I never imagined that after serving as a soldier, I would face such a situation in retirement,” Ram said.
The problem is not new.
Reports published in 2024 said more than 200 houses across Bageshwar had been affected. The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority identified about 11 vulnerable villages and placed nearly 450 houses in risk-prone zones.
“These are not merely figures in government files,” said a resident of Ram’s village.
“They represent families whose homes embody years of labour and a lifetime’s savings.”
A government-appointed committee surveyed 61 soapstone mines across Bageshwar, Kanda and Dugnakuri. Its report recorded ground fissures, subsidence, landslides and shifting rocks in mining belts.
The panel also raised serious questions about mining practices. It found vertical or excessively steep excavation at several sites and noted that mine debris had been dumped into natural drainage channels.
Blocked drainage can sharply increase danger during heavy rain. Trapped water may raise pressure within slopes, weaken the ground and trigger landslides or further subsidence in vulnerable settlements.
Soapstone mining has long supported Bageshwar’s economy, providing jobs and government revenue. But residents stated the benefits cannot come at the cost of public safety.
Fearful of possible administrative reprisals, several villagers are reluctant to speak.
“People no longer want another inquiry,” another resident said on condition of anonymity.
“We need clear answers on what is causing the cracks and subsidence, how far mining is responsible and what immediate steps will protect endangered homes.”
Residents are seeking an independent geotechnical assessment, strict enforcement of mining safeguards, restoration of blocked drains, and time-bound relief, repair or relocation for families in danger.
They also need data and mine inspection findings placed in the public domain. Villagers worry that the next spell of rain could turn a long-running environmental concern into a wider human and housing crisis.