Kerala to restart controlled sand-mining for construction

The State government is taking steps to restart controlled sand-mining in response to a shortage affecting the construction sector. Revenue Minister K. Rajan announced this during a session in the Assembly on Tuesday. He noted that strict regulations since 2016, imposed by the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal (NGT), have made sand-mining difficult. To resume sand-mining under these regulations, the government is preparing District Survey Reports (DSR) for 17 rivers. This effort is necessary for meeting environmental clearance requirements. Potential sand-mining sites have been identified in eight districts, including Kollam, Thrissur, and Ernakulam. The government has already received environmental clearances for five of these districts. Demarcation of mining sites is currently underway. The State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority has approved the DSR for these areas. In addition to sand-mining efforts, Mr. Rajan mentioned the government’s work on restoring river flows. Over 98 lakh cubic meters of silt and debris have been removed from 44 rivers affected by floods in 2018 and 2019. Restoration has been completed in 30 rivers so far.