Beas water level falls in Himachal due to illegal mining

Ravinder Sood

Palampur, February 23

The water level of the Beas is falling year after year due to illegal and unscientific mining. The water level is so low at some places that one can even cross the river on foot. The state forest, mining, pollution and revenue departments seem to be unconcerned about the situation. The coming up of several stone crushers on the riverbed has made the matter worse. Heavy JCB and porcelain machines are being used to extract mining material from the river.

Rs 500 cr revenue loss in Kangra every year

• Deep ravines have been created in the Beas near Sujanpur, Harsi Pattan, Alampur, Jaisinghpur and Rakkar in Kangra district due to illegal mining
• From the Alampur-Jaisinghpur road one can see deep ravines of up to 100 feet downward
• State agencies have not initiated any action against the mining mafia that allegedly enjoys political protection
• In Kangra district alone, the government is suffering an annual revenue loss of Rs 500 cr

The Beas is one of the largest rivers of north India with many dams and power projects on it. The river has been facing environmental degradation due to illegal mining and deforestation. “Major tributaries of the Beas like the Neugal, Binwa, Bhiral, Awa and Mol Khuds are drying due to sand and stone mining. The situation is worse in Palampur as both banks of the river are prone to illegal mining in the absence of any checks,” says an environmentalist.

Deep ravines have been created in the Beas near Sujanpur, Harsi Pattan, Alampur, Jaisinghpur and Rakkar in Kangra district due to illegal mining. From the Alampur-Jaisinghpur highway one can see deep ravines of up to 100 feet downward. State agencies have not initiated any action against the mining mafia that allegedly enjoys political protection.

Kangra SP Shalini Agnihotri says that the police have conducted a number of raids, seized many vehicles, imposed heavy fines on offenders and dismantled many illegal roads to riverbeds constructed in the past six months. The police have to remain on alert even at night to raid illegal miners. She adds that most of the escape routes from the Beas riverbed have been constructed on forestland, and hence without the cooperation of the forest and mining departments, the problem cannot be resolved.

In Kangra district alone, the government is suffering a revenue loss of Rs 500 crore every year. During the last Assembly elections, the Congress had made illegal mining a major issue and promised to curb it, if voted to power. It was expected that the Congress government would take stringent measures to curb illegal mining in the region but the situation only worsened in Kangra district, particularly in Palampur, Jaisinghpur and Sullah where illegal mining was not reported earlier. Officials, who acted tough against illegal mining, were shifted overnight.

Because of illegal mining, the existence of several drinking water supply and irrigation schemes dependent on the Beas and its tributaries is under threat. The mining mafia has damaged water supply lines and the riverbed at many points, endangering several bridges.