India’s lithium dream casts shadow over Kashmir village

Kashmir now faces uncertainty as residents await clarity on displacement and compensation amid lithium mining push

SRINAGAR, Kashmir (MNTV) — Located in the Himalayan foothills of Indian-administered Kashmir’s Reasi district, the remote village of Salal was once defined by its quiet routines, modest farms, and rocky soil. 

But in February 2023, it became the focus of national headlines after Indian authorities announced the discovery of 5.9 million tonnes of lithium — one of the largest known reserves globally.

In the past, internet searches for Salal yielded nothing. But type “lithium Reasi” today, and the village emerges as a digital map point — not for its people, but for its mineral wealth. 

This transformation was captured in the documentary Final Days of Lithium Village by journalist Rohit Upadhyay for Ground Report, which explores how national energy goals are colliding with grassroots realities.

For Salal’s nearly 90 percent agrarian population, the lithium discovery hasn’t brought opportunity. It has brought drilling machines, government officials, and corporate interest — along with dust, noise, and silence from authorities. 

Villagers say the sounds of birds have been replaced by machines, and conversations are filled with anxiety about displacement and livelihood loss.

As of 2025, no land acquisition or relocation plan has been publicly detailed. 

Villagers say they are left in the dark even as surveys continue and land values fluctuate.Shamsher Singh, a resident of Salal, told Kashmir Times he feels abandoned. 

While showing his house and farmland, he said, “Our administration has never held talks with us. The government is conducting surveys, samples are being collected and sent, and our lands are being sold without our consent. The regime should have made arrangements for our settlement and livestock.”

Most families here depend on farming maize, mustard, and vegetables for subsistence. Water is scarce, the soil rocky — yet they’ve adapted over generations. That connection to the land, villagers fear, is about to be severed.

Ramchand, a 78-year-old farmer, remembers what happened when his family was displaced in the 1980s for the Salal Dam. 

“They want to move us again,” he said. “But where will we go?” 

Compensation back then never helped them rebuild, and today, trust is even lower.In late 2023, the Indian government attempted to auction the reserves to private companies. 

Though the first round failed, firms like JSW and Hindalco have since expressed interest. The lack of transparency around the process has only deepened mistrust.

The village of Salal, with its Hindu-majority population and sizable Muslim minority, is now at the center of India’s green energy future. But for its residents, the price of that future remains dangerously unclear.