Mayem is a village in Bicholim taluka of the north-eastern hinterland of Goa. It is most famous for its lake, a popular tourist spot called the Mayem lake, which underwent Rs-160 crore beautification last year. It now has a lake-view resort, a bungee jumping set-up, an amphitheatre, picnic-spots, walking trails and boating facilities. Not-so-famous in the village are two large mines – Vedanta’s Sesa Goa Iron Ore, which is a stone’s throw away from the tourist lake on the north and east side, and Chowgule, on the south and west side.
Sakaram Pednekar, a local farmer and activist, took Mongabay-India near the Chowgule mine and pointed towards a make-shift bamboo grid gate beyond which there was a big crater of water surrounded by red hills. “The water is probably 50-100 metres deep,” said Pednekar, pointing at the crater. There were mounds of loose, red earth making…