Illegal riverbed mining vandalising river’s flora and fauna
Originating from glaciers in Pir Panjal Range, Sukhnag snakes through picturesque Tosa Maidan and forms one of the tributaries of Jhelum river. Passing through several Budgam villages, Sukhnag is considered to be important for drinking water and irrigation purposes. However, illegal riverbed mining is eating into the river’s vitals.
In blatant violation of rules, heavy machinery is used to extract riverbed material at Sail, Doenkuel Bagh, Ohangam and its adjoining villages. Sukhnag is known for trout fish and haphazard excavation of riverbed material is causing extensive damage to aquatic life. Earlier this year, halting of water flow to a trout fish farm due to haphazard riverbed mining led to death of over 2000 trout
Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, a prominent environmental activist, raised alarm at the large-scale destruction of Sukhnag due to illegal riverbed mining. It is to be noted that as per J&K Minor Mineral Concession Rules 2016, after 6 pm no Riverbed Mining-RBM work is permitted. However, mining in the river is done round the clock with use of heavy machinery.
Dr Raja states that for more than 18 months heavy machines are plundering Sukhnag at multiple locations.” The material (RBM) is supplied to a company that carries the same in their trucks in broad daylight from Beerwah to Gudsathoo area in Chadoora (25 to 30 kms).
“Every day around 100 plus dumpers / trucks move on this road and nobody is bothered. Had the Govt officially allowed this construction company to carry on this work, the same could have been part of the DPR or Environmental Management Plan, EMP, but that isn’t the case. Our Karewas have also been bulldozed for the ring road project and there was no official approval or EMP for this work as well?,” he states.
As per Dr Raja, every day riverbed material worth Rs 25 to 30 lakhs is looted from Sukhnag and not even Rs 1 lakh per day goes into Govt treasury? “Additionally the environmental loss if calculated would be more than Rs 800 Crores.”
After concerned authorities failed to check the issue, Dr Raja knocked on the doors of National Green Tribunal (NGT). The NGT took serious note of illegal river bed mining and constituted a high level committee who were directed to visit the Sukhang River and submit a factual report within eight weeks on illegal riverbed mining taking place in Sail village of Beerwah and adjoining areas.
On October 16, following the NGT order, the J&K Fisheries Department conducted raids in several locations in Beerwah area and halted the illegal mining activities in Sukhnag River. But who will prevent illegal mining of the whole course of Sukhnag River? The question arises why didn’t concerned authorities monitor and ensure riverbed mining as per norms over these years. Who is responsible for extensive damage to streams and rivers due to use of heavy machinery?
Kashmir’s fragile riverbed system is being devastated by illegal mining. Due to the rise in construction activities there is a manifold increase in masonry stones, sand, boulder, bajri and clay.
The perennial left and right bank tributaries of Jhelum basin have rich deposits of minor minerals like boulders, which are extracted for construction purposes. The problem starts when organised mining mafias use heavy machines like JCBs to extract material in Jhelum’s tributaries like Doodh Ganga, Vaishav, Rambiara, Shali Ganga and other streams.
J&K Environment Impact Assessment Authority (JKEIAA), which works under the Union Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, grants Environmental Clearance after the applicant fulfills requisite standard and specific conditions including prohibition of the use of heavy machinery in mining operations, a provision to sell the excavated material from the riverbed locally at a discount of 50 percent and the use of CCTVs on the site.
Due to illegal riverbed mining, many of our water bodies and streams are being silted up. Rivers and streams have a stable hydraulic regime, which governs course and parameters such as bed slope, width, depth of flow. Mining of minerals, boulder, gravel and sand must be done in consideration of the entire regime of the river and its regenerative capacity of minor minerals.
That is why Environment Impact Assessment is must before allowing riverbed mining to prevent or minimise damage to aquatic ecology of rivers and streams. Illegal mining which is rampant in Kashmir has severely affected the hydraulic parameters which causes erosion of sides during floods and has even changed the course of streams and rivers.
Serious measures must be taken by the government as well as people to prevent illegal riverbed mining. Government must enforce its writ to prevent further damage to rivers and streams. Heavy penalties must be imposed upon violators including lessees who conduct willful act of extracting excessive material in an illegal manner which results in environmental degradation.
We must remember that these are not just streams but our lifelines!
Author in Executive Editor, Greater Kashmir
