Unscientific riverbed mining causing irreparable damage to environment

Unscientific and haphazard riverbed mining in Himachal Pradesh has severely impacted the river basin environment that needs immediate corrective measures. The Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) have cautioned the state government many times that mining and its associated activities are responsible for the considerable environmental damage, flash floods and landslides that Himachal Pradesh had witnessed in the past two years. Illegal riverbed mining all over the state, the lack of governance and the indifferent attitude of the state authorities towards the mafia have resulted in land degradation and an existential threat to rivers.

Sand, boulders, pebbles and gravels are extracted directly from active river channels or its banks in gross violation of rules. There is a complete ban on all types of mining activities in all major rivers of the state but still large-scale mineral extraction is reported from Una, Kangra, Solan and Kulu districts. The use of modern JCB and Poclain machines have quickened the pace of mineral extraction faster than than natural replenishment rate, leading to irreparable damage. The rivers play a significant role in the creation of the economic, social, religious and cultural heritage of the state. However, the state authorities seem to have learnt no lesson from the flash floods in the past three years and the recent outburst of the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court had flagged the ecological imbalance in Himachal Pradesh while cautioning that the entire state may ‘vanish in thin air’ if the situation did not change. The court observed that the situation in Himachal Pradesh had worsened and climate change was having a “visible and alarming impact”.

“We want to impress upon the state government and the Union of India that earning revenue is not everything. Revenue cannot be earned at the cost of the environment and the ecology,” a Bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan had said.

The unplanned and unregulated large-scale mining of sand, gravels and stones from riverbeds and riverbanks has severe environmental and social impact. Riverbed mining in the Himalayan terrains has led to hill erosion and subsidence and left the river-plains much more vulnerable to flash floods because it allows loose landmass to be washed downstream, especially during the monsoon season. This has severely impacted the ecological balance of rivers and caused damage to the flora and fauna and the riparian habitats. The large-scale unscientific mining has severely impacted the river ecosystems.

“The Himalayas and lower hills are a treasure house of minerals that people have been exploiting since time immemorial. The lack of adequate scientific studies on this environmentally-sensitive activity is a major hurdle in proper decision making and creating awareness among people at different levels,” says KB Ralhan and Subhash Sharma, local environmentalists and members of NGO People’s Voice that is working for the protection of the environment in the Kangra valley.