Poly metallic nodules are potato-shaped, largely porous Iron-Manganese oxide deposit nodules found in abundance carpeting the sea floor of world oceans with size ranging from 2 to 10 cm in diameter. These are considered as the precipitates of hot fluids from upwelling hot magma from deep interior of the oceanic crust, discharged through mineralized paths. Besides manganese and iron, they contain nickel, copper, cobalt, lead, molybdenum, cadmium, vanadium, titanium, of which nickel, cobalt and copper are considered to be of economic and strategic importance. India’s ambitious ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ is all set to be launched this year.

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Significance of the Mission:

• The ‘Deep Ocean Mission’ plan will enable India to develop capabilities to exploit resources in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB).
• India has been allotted 75,000 square kilometres in the Central Indian Ocean Basin (CIOB) by UN International Sea Bed Authority for exploration of poly-metallic nodules.
• CIOB reserves contain deposits of metals like iron, manganese, nickel and cobalt.
• India is entirely dependent on imports to meet its requirements of cobalt, which is the most strategic of the three metals (cobalt, copper and nickel). As for copper and nickel, India is in a precarious position.

Economic significance

• Employment opportunities skill-sets and capacities
• Empowerment of coastal communities and attaining greater social and economic inclusion.
• New development in electronics industry.
• Providing a boost to coastal and national economies
• Promoting entrepreneurship in new areas of economic activity
• Development of blue economy and diplomacy.
• Sagarmala project will enhance the exploration.
• It will also open new doors for mining of oil and gas reservoirs which are potent for India’s energy security.
• These metals can be extracted and used in electronic devices, smartphones, batteries and even for solar panels.

Strategic relevance:

• India’s exclusive rights for exploration of Polymetallic Nodules in the allotted area in the Central Indian Ocean Basin will continue and would open new opportunities for resources of commercial and strategic value.
• Presently, China is controlling more than 95% of rare earth metals. This move will nullify the increasing influence of China.
• It will strengthen the bilateral relationship of India with Japan, Germany and South Korea

Challenges posed by the mission:

• Environmental impact:
  • According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), these deep remote locations can be home to unique species that have adapted themselves to conditions such as poor oxygen and sunlight, high pressure and extremely low temperatures.
  • Such mining expeditions can make them go extinct even before they are known to science.
  • The deep sea’s biodiversity and ecology remain poorly understood, making it difficult to assess the environmental impact and frame adequate guidelines.
  • Environmentalists are also worried about the sediment plumes that will be generated as the suspended particles can rise to the surface harming the filter feeders in the upper ocean layers.
  • Additional concerns have been raised about the noise and light pollution from the mining vehicles and oil spills from the operating vessels.
• Technology:
  • The specialized drills and extraction-technology that would be required pulling out the metals from the deep sea would develop a major technical challenge.
• Commercial Viability:
  • The latest estimate from the ISA says it will be commercially viable only if about three million tonnes are mined per year. More studies are being carried out to understand how the technology can be scaled up and used efficiently.

Conclusion:

There is an urgent need for an international charter as in the absence of a clear charter, deep sea mining operations could cause irreversible damage to a little understood ecology. A new set of exploration guidelines must be worked out with discussions involving multi-stakeholders like ISA, IUCN, UNCLOS, littoral nations etc.