Sand Mining and River’s deteriorating Health

Recently, several State governments and civil societies have attracted the attention of the policy makers towards the over-exploitation of river sand by mining activities and its impacts on Biodiversity and society.

• Sand mining is a pan-India problem.
• A United Nations study calculates that humankind’s total consumption of sand—more than 40 billion tons a year—is now double the number of sediments being replenished naturally on the Earth by the sum of the world’s rivers.
• UNEP in its report ‘Sand and Sustainability’ highlighted that the demand for sand has increased three-fold over the last decades, driven by shifting consumption patterns, growing populations, increasing urbanisation, and rapid infrastructure development.

Why the world is running out of sand?

• High rate of consumption: Sand is the most-consumed natural resource on the planet besides water. Its major uses are in brick, concrete and mortar, glass, paint, and paved Roads
• Static nature: The quantity of natural generation of sand is static.
• Illegal dealing: Due to black marketing and illegal mining of the mineral.

Impact of Sand Mining

• Alteration of Rivers: Excessive sand mining can alter the river bed, force the river to change course, eroded banks, and lead to flooding.
• Damage River Biodiversity: Degraded stream habitats result in loss of fisheries productivity, biodiversity, and recreational potential.
  • Sand Mining in Chambal has impacted the population of Gharials (National Chambal Sanctuary has been established for their conservation), a critically endangered species. The mining hurts wildlife by removing basking and egg-laying habitat.
• Alter Sediment Budget: As the amount of sand reaching Oceans changes, rivers are not able to replenish the sand on beaches and in deltas.

• Lead to poor water quality: Increased riverbed and bank erosion increases suspended solids in the water at the excavation site and downstream. Suspended solids may adversely affect water users and aquatic ecosystems.

Other Socio-Economic Impacts

• Worsen water scarcity
• Threat to Coastal Communities
• Damage to Public and Private Property

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 variousjudicial 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 the scientific mining of sand and encourage environmentally 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.
• UnderSection 120B read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, extraction of sand without a legal permit is a punishable offence. 

What measures are needed?

• Strengthen Policy Framework: Regulations that have been bought, have not worked properly, mainly due to lackadaisical implementation.
• Alternatives to Sand
  • M-sand - is sand made from rock by artificial processes, usually for construction purposes in cement or concrete
  • Sand segregation from overburden of coal mines
  • Reducing consumption of sand
  • By optimizing the use of existing buildings and infrastructure.
  • Using recycled buildings and quarry dust material as a substitute for sand.
  • Reducing the negative consequences of extraction
  • By calculating the total annual bed load and restricting mining activities up to that value or less.