Under-mining health? Local impacts of iron ore mining in India

Environmental justice concerns about adverse impacts of extractive mining industries challenge their claim of broad-based development. However, empirical evidence of negative externalities attributable to mining enterprises is thin. In this paper, we examine the burden of Acute Respiratory Illness and Malaria among villagers along a gradient of proximity to mining areas to generate evidence pertinent to the debate on environmental health and social justice. By focusing on health outcomes as human development indicators, the study also reflects on whether the ‘resource curse’ that has been posited at the country level also has micro footprints. The analysis combines 600 household interviews conducted in 20 villages with GIS data on locations of mines and villages in India. Self-reported health data on incidence and workdays lost due to Acute Respiratory Illness and Malaria are outcomes of interest. Estimation results for incidence (Probit) and workdays lost (3SLS and Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial) indicate that villagers living closer to mines reported higher frequency of ARI complications and workdays lost due to Malaria. However, villagers living closer to mines are more likely to be employed in mines, and this in turn positively affects adoption of improved stoves that can potentially reduce indoor air pollution.