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Context: Three States have commenced joint action to stop illegal sand mining in National Chambal Sanctuary, situated at the trijunction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, which is known for its population of critically endangered gharials.

Details:

About the sanctuary:

• The National Chambal Sanctuary, also known as the National Chambal Gharial Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 5,400 km2 tri-state protected area.
• It is home to the endangered Red-crowned Roof Turtle and the Ganges River dolphin.
• It is located near the junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• The Chambal River passes through the valleys and hills of the sanctuary.
• This is part of the Khathiar-Gir Dry Deciduous Forest Ecoregion.

About the river:

• The Chambal River is a tributary of the Yamuna River in Central and Northern India and forms part of the Ganges drainage system.
• Drainage: This river flows through Madhya Pradesh in a north-northeast direction and forms the border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh before flowing southeast for a moment to join the tributaries of Uttar Pradesh.
• This legendary river is mentioned in ancient records.
• The perennial Chambal occurs on the southern slopes of the Vindhya Range in Madhya Pradesh.
• The Chambal River is considered free of pollution.
• Fauna: hosts a variety of river faunal assemblage including two crocodiles - the mugger and the gharial, eight species of freshwater turtles, flat-topped grass, Gangetic river dolphins, skimmers, black otters etc.
• The ancient name of Chambal river is Charmanvati, which means a river with dried banks leather on its side. Over time, this river was known as char (skin) river and got the name Charmanvati.

Sand crisis:

• The world uses 50 billion tons of sand and gravel each year, making it the second most used resource on the planet after water.
• Since there is a water crisis in many parts of the world, it is not surprising that we are on the brink of a sand crisis.
• The United Nations Environment Program published a report in 2022 on the need to control the extraction and consumption of sand.
  • The report made ten specific recommendations, including classifying sand as a "strategic resource", mapping and monitoring coastal resources, and adopting laws and policies to combat sand greed.

Indian overview:

• The Union Ministry of Mines calls sand, which is formed by the weathering of rocks, a "soft mineral".
• According to a report, the annual demand for sand in urban India alone is 60 million tons in 2019.
• India is producing sand faster than it can be naturally replenished.
  • According to a UNEP report published in 2018, coastal drainage in India and China has become a "spotlight" affecting rivers, lakes and coasts. This is likely due to the construction boom in both countries.

Sand mining is a pan-India problem. It is prevalent in the Garo Hills in Meghalaya, the Sutlej in Punjab, Yamuna in Delhi, the Ganga in Haridwar, Urmil and Betwa in Bundelkhand, Kosi in Bihar, the Chambal and Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, Ojat in Gujarat, the Subarnarekha in Odisha, Musi in Telangana, Netravati and Phalguni rivers in Karnataka, Godavari and Krishna in Andhra Pradesh, and Cauvery in Tamil Nadu.

Impact:

• A 2010 study found that sand mining in three major rivers in central Kerala has destabilized the riverbanks and increased the frequency and intensity of floods.
• Sand removal could reduce water flow and destroy shorelines and animal habitats.
• If the sand is mined, the water becomes more cloudy, which affects the oxygen content in the water and the ability to live in it.
• Sand loss is a "direct threat to wetlands as they form an important element for waterfowl and the entire ecosystem".
• Sand mining also affects endangered species.
• Sand mining also costs lives in India. Many activists, police officers and journalists investigating the problem of local illegal sand mining have died in the line of duty.
• An investigation found that the Indian government’s inaction and collusion between state officials and sand miners allowed illegal sand mining to continue unchecked in coastal Tamil Nadu for three decades.

As per the latest data compiled by South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), a network working on issues related to rivers, between January 2019 and November 2020, 193 people have died due to illegal river sand mining incidents/accidents in India. This comes to more than eight people dying due to illegal sand mining. In 2018, only 28 deaths due to illegal sand mining were reported.

Steps taken in India:

• The Union Environment Ministry's 2016 Guidelines for Sustainable Sand Mining aim to "encourage scientific sand mining and environment-friendly management practices".
  • It recommends measures for sustainable mining, emphasizes monitoring and recommends the government to map access to the sea.
• In 2018, the Ministry of Mines released the "Sand Mining Framework" to help states formulate their sand policies.

How effective are the existing laws?

• Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 of India regulates the mining activities in the country.
  • Despite a set of guidelines to curb the practice, illegal and unsustainable sand mining has continued, spurring the Indian government to take another step toward enforcing rules.
• As per the National Green Tribunal (NGT), permission (or environment clearance) for mining of sand and minerals in an area is granted by state governments. In some cases, the Centre issues the clearance.
  • Most entities in mining have an environment clearance but they don’t comply with all the conditions they are asked to.
• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015, mandated the setting up of district mineral foundations (DMFs).
  • The funds accrued under the DMF were to be used for the welfare of the people living in areas affected by illegal sand mining.
  • This was done through the Pradhan Mantri Khanji Kshetra Kalyan Yojana set up by the Ministry of Mines.
  • As of September 2020, a total of Rs 38,988.15 crore of the fund was allocated to the 21 states, of which only Rs 17,766.02 crore (45.5 per cent) was spent.

Way forward:

• According to the 2018 UNEP report, important ways to reduce the amount of sand extracted include avoiding unnecessary natural sand consumption in construction and using alternatives.
  • For example, sand is used as an aggregate for road bases and cement-based construction. This sand can be replaced by aggregating the derivatives of the incineration of solid municipal waste.
• Converting crop residue into building material – which can also help North India manage its stubble burning problem at the end of the rice season.
• It’s important to properly fund these alternatives.
• There is a need to enforce existing standards and best practices.

PRACTICE QUESTION Q) What do you mean by Sand-mining? Analyse the effectiveness of the Indian laws in curbing this issue. (250 words)

MUST READ: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/sand-mining

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/three-states-begin-joint-action-to-stop-illegal-sand-mining-in-the-chambal-sanctuary/article66645763.ece