The article examines the difficulties women face at MCL Basundhara in Odisha from coal mining which involves displacement along with livelihood destruction and household responsibilities growth together with an increase in domestic violence despite showing policy shortcomings and potential solutions.
The Indian economy has relied on coal mining operations to achieve its development goals through many years. Women from Sundargarh district in Odisha suffer extensive social along with economic challenges because Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. (MCL) operations in that area. Modern mining disrupts households through displacements which destroys historic household relationships and creates mental health problems for all members. Women face growing difficulties obtaining financial security because their traditional occupations disappear together with farming, forest usage and small-scale trade. The continuous deterioration of the environment makes daily struggles worse since residents experience declining access to basic water and services. The combined forces of economic uncertainties together with societal stressors result in soaring domestic violence incidents that endanger numerous women while denying them access to legal protection. Monetary and corporate intervention by government agencies did not solve the existing problems with gender-aware policies and rehabilitation programs. The article studies the complex issues that women in coal mining areas experience by stressing the immediate requirement for solutions which advance both women's health and gender equality.
Relocation and Its Emotional Cost
Coal mining forced displacements create major effects on women through the disruption of their social, economic standing and their emotional well-being. The women in Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. (MCL)'s Basundhara location within Sundargarh district of Odisha suffer monumental psychological trauma and suffer severance from their close ties and endure prolonged anxiety about their undisclosed future status.
Displacement and Psychological Struggles
The eviction of families destroys their historical connection to their homeland which leads to the loss of social traditions and cultural heritage. Primary caregivers who belong to the female gender face intense emotional distress while making efforts to preserve their routine lives during periodical chaos. Elderly women and children alongside other adults develop anxiety and depression as well as psychological difficulties when they must move away from familiar surroundings.
Loss of Social Networks and Community Bonds
Relocation fragments long-established social networks. Women who survived through local support networks discover themselves in unfamiliar territories with no communal support. Social isolation increases because neighbours, family and community events are no longer present which exposes older women and children to higher risks of vulnerability.
Challenges in Rebuilding Life
The process of establishing settlements in new locations generally fails to provide proper help to settlers. The payment packages received by victims usually amount to insufficient funds that make it difficult for them to restore their lives. Low job opportunities together with insufficient skills training create an additional burden for the displaced families. Multiple residents struggle to work informally or rely on others because relocation removes their ability to stand financially on their own feet.
Impact on Family Stability
The process of forced relocation produces detrimental effects on family structures thus creating additional stress at relationship levels. Household tensions increase because economic uncertainty combined with emotional distress produces these situations that lead to domestic violence. Women face overwhelming stress because they must balance their duties to family unity with their individual grief.
Need for Gender-Sensitive Rehabilitation Policies
Gender-sensitive policies need to be implemented because they provide a platform for women to share their opinions during rehabilitation to minimize adverse consequences. Women who have experienced displacement need access to stable livelihood options in addition to mental health resources along with programs to rebuild their communities in order to build resilience.
Increased Drudgery and Daily Struggles
Women in the daily lives experience major disruptions due to the expanding operations of Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. (MCL) at Basundhara in Sundargarh district. Women face extreme exhaustion in surviving their everyday lives because the combination of environmental destruction with dwindling resources and missing support services creates overwhelming difficulties.
Loss of Access to Water and Agricultural Land
The environmental destruction of surface water alongside groundwater exhaustion has seriously affected women who are responsible for obtaining household water. Women currently spend extended time periods traveling through great distances to collect water because of poor access which causes them extensive physical fatigue. Human activities that devastate farm lands create an occupational threat to women by taking away their vital source of both food and revenue.
Increased Burden of Domestic Chores
The removal of natural resources by mining operations puts the burden on women to find different sources of firewood and food supplies. The combination of inadequate clean air combined with restricted supply of needed resources creates greater complexity in performing basic household chores and maintenance. Their workload becomes heavier because of the declining living standards which produce limited time for either learning or participating in social activities.
Struggles in Healthcare and Childcare
The lack of healthcare services becomes critical because medical centres are situated at significant distances beyond resettlement areas. Medical shortages coupled with unclean surroundings create additional dangers for pregnant women along with the elderly members of family. The relocation process negatively affects children's education through interruptions in their school attendance and women must work to sustain suitable learning conditions.
Social Isolation and Psychological Toll
Women experience isolation because community structures were destroyed and they lack their traditional support systems. Extended work combined with elevated stress burden leads women toward mental health difficulties which manifests as anxiety and depression. The combination between cultural gatherings' disappearance and social participation cuts further into their psychological suffering which deepens their displacement feelings.
Loss of Livelihood and Economic Hardship
The expansion activities of Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. (MCL) at Basundhara in Sundargarh district have systematically destroyed traditional economic structures leading women into constant financial instability. The process of mining expansion claims traditional professions which makes women financially unstable and forces them toward unreliable economic activities.
Destruction of Traditional Economic Activities
Agriculture together with livestock rearing and forest-based livelihoods which used to sustain women financially has diminished because of mining-caused displacement. The pollution of water resources together with forest destruction and the sterilization of farm lands create a situation where women find it more difficult to provide for their families. Local producers and handcraft makers lost their buyer base because of mining activities therefore faced unstable paid work and even became jobless completely.
Exclusion from Formal Employment
Labor at coal mining facilities distributes work mainly to men which restricts women from receiving reliable positions. Women face obstacles entering skilled positions because gender discrimination and training opportunities are scarce in existing workplaces. The lack of workplace policies that welcome all workers creates worse financial dependence on men in families and enlarges existing gender segregation.
Struggles in Securing Alternative Jobs
Women take risk by joining low-paid work in informal industries including housework, small business and day labor because their previous income sources disappeared. The existing employment options provide limited economic protection to workers who face potential workplace abuse. Not enough skill development programs and economic rehabilitation schemes together with these difficulties block women from achieving financial stability.
Economic Stress and Household Instability
When displaced people suffer financial instability this causes relationships within their families to sour leading to household breakdowns. The stress levels of families increase when they face financial difficulties which lead to both family conflicts and domestic violence incidents. Women who handle household budgeting need to discover survival methods using the limited financial resources at their disposal due to overwhelming survival pressure.
Need for Sustainable Economic Solutions
Women’s needs require customized skill development programming together with financial aid and occupation opportunities which should come from corporate and government initiatives. The empowerment of displaced women together with their financial independence depends heavily on inclusive policies that provide stable income opportunities.
Rise in Domestic Violence and Social Challenges
The economic and social changes of relocating people from the MCL have produced severe domestic violence together with social complexities. The family stability of women becomes endangered when financial pressure, emotional turmoil and loss of work opportunities combine to increase the risk of gender-based violence.
Financial Strain and Escalation of Domestic Conflicts
When traditional ways to earn a living were destroyed families entered economic hardship which intensified family tensions. The male workforce who lacks employment faces unresolved frustrations so they express their discomfort through harmful actions which result in violence directed toward women. When women lack stable earnings they have minimal options to leave dangerous situations since their abusers control those using abusive tactics and financial power.
Psychological Distress and Isolation
The stress women experience arises from the necessity of forced migration and deteriorating interpersonal ties. Those who lose their sense of community while losing their normal ways to cope need to manage profound emotional burdens. The social disgrace connected to domestic abuse subjects numerous victims to continued isolation so that they cannot receive necessary legal or psychological help.
Barriers to Reporting and Seeking Help
Although they might be aware of their legal rights the victims of domestic violence usually do not know how to access justice systems. The combination of concerns about facing retaliation and existing cultural restrictions together with social conventional norms stops victims from speaking out about abuse. The lack of shelters together with counseling services and legal aid functions as barriers that stop them from breaking out of abusive situations therefore causes their abuse to persist.
Community Disintegration and Gender Inequality
Women lose their power in decision-making through forced relocation because it breaks down established social systems. Gender inequality increases since political decisions show primary focus on men rather than women's needs. The low engagement of affected women in rehabilitation processes leads to insufficient support systems that prevent their participation in social development progress.
Urgent Need for Institutional Intervention
Policy makers need to create gender-focused rehabilitation programs combined with legal support and public awareness initiatives because these are fundamental requirements for solving these issues. The breakthrough of violence patterns requires strengthening initiatives that empower women by providing education access and employment opportunity alongside health-care access.
Environmental Impact and Health Issues
Mahanadi Coal Field Ltd. runs coal mining operations in Basundhara of Sundargarh district which has triggered major environmental destruction that harms the physical and mental condition of area residents’ especially female inhabitants. The combination of pollution with resource depletion and hazardous exposure yields permanent health issues that require an immediate response.
Air Pollution and Respiratory Diseases
The extraction process through coal mining results in severe air pollution due to particulates along with poisonous gases. Elongated outdoor and domestic time exposure causes women to develop persistent respiratory diseases such as asthma and bronchitis along with lung infections. The prolonged contact with coal dust produces cardiovascular issues that undermine a person's health conditions.
Hazardous Exposure and Reproductive Health Issues
People who encounter coal waste along with chemicals and radiation experience severe reproductive health problems. The extended exposure of women to coal waste substances, chemicals and radiation in combination leads to pregnancy loss along with hormone disruption and infertility problems. Absence of adequate healthcare exacerbates these problems, leaving women without proper medical intervention.
Urgent Need for Environmental Reforms
Evaluation of these problems requires better pollution control technology alongside improved healthcare systems and better resource utilization practices. Government policies must include strategies to deliver clean resources, healthcare services and maintain environmental equilibrium in order to achieve widespread female health protection.
Government Policies and Corporate Responsibilities
Mohanaradi Coal Field Ltd. (MCL) operates through continuous expansion activities that generate multiple environmental and socioeconomic complications. Both governmental policies and corporate responsibilities work towards resolving challenges while lacking sufficient interventions that meet gender-specific needs and reintegration services.
Government Policies on Displacement and Compensation
The government created several compensation schemes for displaced communities by offering financial benefits to combine with land distribution and employment assurance programs. Conventional compensation schemes disregard what female victims need after displacement since they become earners of household income without sufficient support systems. Country laws along with official challenges create insurmountable barriers which prevent numerous women from obtaining their payment compensation.
Gender-Sensitive Rehabilitation and Livelihood Programs
The current employment and skill development initiatives have failed to establish suitable programs suited for displaced women. The economic situation of women remains insecure because they lack basic skill instruction and sustainable career opportunities. An inclusive gender-specific rehabilitation approach needs to be implemented in effective policies since it enables females to recover their earning potential while establishing sustainable income sources after disaster recovery.
Environmental Regulations and Health Safeguards
The established coal mining regulations feature environmental protection rules yet they lack consistent implementation. The on-going contamination of air and water leads to sustained health dangers that affect female population by causing respiratory issues as well as reproductive organ problems. Improving environmental policy execution must proceed with healthcare service expansion while strengthening institutional obedience for protecting vulnerable populations socially.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives
Mining companies lead by MCL need to spend community development funds through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The initiatives carry low transparency levels while neglecting women's genuine concerns properly. Active corporate responsibility demands a specific program to assist displaced women by providing medical services, financial resources and honing their practical abilities.
The Need for Policy Reforms and Corporate Accountability
Policy reforms addressing gender-specific solutions should be prioritized because they help reduce harmful effects of coal mining operations. Organizations should carry out substantive actions which protect social fairness together with environmental health while offering lasting backing for impacted populations.
Conclusion
Women living near MCL Basundhara in Odisha experience critical situations that call for specific policies which address their needs. Displacements cause individuals to lose their living sources which lead to worsened family responsibilities and make them more susceptible to financial difficulties and physical aggression. Environmental deterioration adds new vital threats to people's health thereby making survival more challenging. The government and corporate sector need to collaborate on sustainable initiatives that support women empowerment combined with financial freedom and essential resource access. A future that protects women affected by coal mining disruptions can be established through gender-inclusive rehabilitation programs, environmental safeguards and community resilience measures.