Kerala government to audit black sand mining amid environmental concerns

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Residents and activists argue that dredging undertaken in the name of harbour maintenance and flood management has damaged fragile ecosystems, threatened homes, and worsened saltwater intrusion into Kuttanad’s paddy fields. | Photo Credit: Sarbari Sinha 2707

The Kerala government will constitute an expert committee to audit black sand mining to assess areas with potential of black sand mining and possible environmental problems for areas such as upper Kuttanad from mining activities, Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan said in the Assembly.

The Chief Minister was responding to a submission by G. Sudhakaran in the House on Wednesday, about black sand mining in the Thottappally area of Alappuzha district. Mr. Sudhakaran said that sand mining should be allowed only from the estuary or river mouth and never along the coastline. He said that there were several complaints regarding the sand mining carried out by both Indian Rare Earths and Kerala Metals and Minerals Ltd. at Thottappally, for none seemed to have any idea how much sand was being mined or the proportion of minerals recovered from the sand and the fact that no share of the profits from mining the resources of the panchayat were being shared with the latter.

Mr. Satheesan replied that when the mineral sand removed from the river mouth is processed and the minerals separated and sold, the department receives royalty on this in advance. In this connection, KMML has paid royalty amounting to more than ₹8.5 crore and the Central public sector undertaking IREL, ₹4.71 crore. However, the government has been receiving widespread complaints regarding the sandmining in the area, which will be examined seriously.

Any irregularities that may have occurred in connection with the sand mining carried out by the Central and State public sector undertakings will be investigated, Mr.Satheesan said.