India's Atomic Energy Act states that there should be no habitation within five kilometers of dumping grounds or tailing ponds. Even though Jaduguda has been in operation for more than 30 years, as many as seven villages still stand within one and a half kilometers of the danger zone. One of them, Dungardihi, is just 40 meters away. Regulations specify that the tailing pond has to be permanently covered with water. This rule is not always respected, but when it is, children and women often bathe in the water and even carry it back to their homes for use.
Locals complain that there is no perimeter fence.
When the pond dries up, dust blows through villages and on to fields. Local politician Suresh Handsa says rice production has fallen because padi are contaminated . The mine operators also dump dry tailings at the site. Occasionally they contain what villagers say is yellow cake - though why so precious and potent a substance should be thrown out has not been explained. Whatever the truth of that, a doctor attached to nearby Jamshedpur's Tata Main Hospital has no doubt about the consequences of the mine's operations.