Wildlife board calls for study on sand mining impact in U’khand

NEWDELHI: The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has raised concerns about extensive sand and boulder mining projects in Uttarakhand and their impact on river ecology and wildlife. It has now recommended a study of the impact of the mining.

There are over 100 sand mining leases operational in the state, according to its geology and mining department. NBWL had received three proposals for sand mining along the Asan Wetland Conservation Reserve and five along the Rajaji National Park’s boundary near Haridwar.

NBWL considered the five proposals for the collection of sand, sand gravel (bajri) and boulders in the private lands located 1.5 to 9 km from the boundary thrice. But it decided against clearing them till they complied with the sand mining guidelines, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s conditions.

“When several dozen miners work in the river beds around the Park, and hundreds may be thousands of trucks move every day for transport of the material, the anthropogenic pressure and ecological degradation would be serious,” said HS Singh, member NBWL, according to the minutes of a meeting held on June 11.

The environment ministry’s Forest Advisory Committee has deferred renewal of clearance for mining of minor minerals from forest land along river Song that Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation had applied for. “The state government shall conduct a study to ascertain the impact of mining .... The study will come out with clear recommendations as how such mining is useful in maintaining the natural flow of the river and health of forests,” FAC observed.

According to the corporation, there are 10 leases that are being worked now, four on the Gaula river, the rest on Kosi, Dapka and Nandhaur, Sharda, Malan and Kotawali. “Our permit for mining on Rawasan expired in March. We have requested NBWL to grant us permission to mine until we can renew it. We also have forest clearances to mine on the Ganga but some court cases are pending,” said Monish Mullick, the Corporation’s MD. HTC