Table of Contents
- With the tacit support of officials of various departments, sand mafia has been destroying red sand dunes near Kavalkinaru in the district by illegally quarrying the sand with heavy equipment for the past several years.
What is Sand Mining?
- Sand Mining is an activity referring to the process of the actual removal of sand from the foreshore including rivers, streams and lakes.
- Sand is mined from beaches and dredged from ocean beds and river beds.
- Sand consumption globally has been increasing and according to a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), India is in the list of critical hotspots for coastal sand mining.
- Dotted with towering palmyra trees and densely grown acacia, the mineral-rich red sand dunes, known as ‘theri’ in Tamil, can be seen for several kilometres in Radhapuram taluk.
- The sand dunes also house a range of small wild animals such as hares, wildcats, hedgehogs and birds, mostly endangered species.
- Moreover, herbal plants like ‘senkolinji’, ‘nilasadaichi’, ‘theri vidaithalai’, etc., can be seen in the dunes.
- The government has given permit for quarrying sand from the government and patta lands to the companies involved in minerals export, but a few illicit sand miners have started using heavy equipment for taking sand from these dunes situated near Kavalkinaru without any permission.
Theri Kaadu (Kudiraimoli theri)
- Teri is a coastal landscape exceptional to Tamil Nadu for the most part in southeastern India. The scene comprises dregs made of marine stores with aeolianite and trademark red sand and sediment rises.
- These red soils are thought to have started in the Pleistocene. The dirt’s additionally have calcium stores supplanting the old underlying foundations of vegetation.
- Also, Their Kaadu was at distance of 12 km from Tiruchendur (Tuticorin District).
The importance of dunes for local hydrology
- A dune lives a slow life, one which is difficult to observe within a single human lifetime. Small vegetation traps windblown sand grains formed by wave action, which slowly accumulate, and are stabilized by grasses like Spinifex, Ipomoea and Fimbristylis. These grasses are also known to help dunes recover after storms and strong winds.
- As a dune grows, it shelters its landward side from strong salt-laden winds, allowing shrubs and trees to take root. Over time, it grows into a forest.
- Though the officials are aware of the sand mafia’s operations, no action has been taken against them despite repeated complaints from the public.
- Emboldened by this, the sand mafia, who are using earthmovers, have completely destroyed a huge sand dune covering over the acres.
Concern
- The villagers complained that groundwater table in the areas such as Kavalkinaru and Vadakkankulam had gone down alarmingly after the illicit sand mining became so active.
- When the activists forwarded complaints to officials demanding an end to sand mining, the mafia came to the doorsteps of the petitioners with copies of their complaints and threatened them of dire consequences.
Provisions for Sand Mining in India
- As sand is a Minor Mineral, different State Governments have made different rules for awarding, regulating and administering the sand concessions.
- To curb Illegal mining, there have been various judicial interventions by the Supreme Court (SC) and National Green Tribunal (NGT).
- The National Green Tribunal in August 2013 passed an order banning sand mining without proper environment clearance.
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released “Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines 2016” to promote scientific mining of sand and encourage environmental friendly management practices.
- Indian government’s Ministry of Mines has also developed a Mining Surveillance System (MSS) to use space technology for facilitating State governments in curbing illegal mining activities in the country.
- Under Sections 120B read with Section 34 of Indian Penal Code, 1860, extraction of sand without a legal permit is a punishable offence.
Question:
Which of the following is/are the possible consequence/s of heavy sand mining in riverbeds ?
- 1. Decreased salinity in the river
- 2. Pollution of groundwater
- Lowering of the water-table
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 and 3 only
- (c)1 and 3 only
- (d)1 ,2 and 3
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