The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Olive Ridleys will be first to fall if beach mining begins, say environmentalists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Aug 04, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Olive Ridleys will be first to fall if beach mining begins, say environmentalists

Santosh Patnaik

Deployment of heavy machinery, coastal erosion, pollution feared

WASHED ASHORE: A dead turtle found at Ramakrishna Beach in Visakhapatnam. — Photos: K.R. Deepak

VISAKHAPATNAM: The State Government's decision to encourage beach sand mining in north coastal Andhra in a big way has caused serious concern among environmentalists.

It is feared that mining of beach sand minerals will lead to deployment of heavy machinery. The extraction of valuables from the beach will cause coastal erosion and pollution, seriously hitting marine life and fish catches.

A survey conducted in 2002 over an area of 1,086 hectares had estimated garnet deposits at 8.7 million tonnes and ilmenite at 4.9 million tonnes. Huge deposits of leucoxene (brown ilemnite), sillimanite, rutile and zircon are also found.

Sources told The Hindu that Trimax, one of the applicants for beach mining between Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam, has already secured a mining lease on a large stretch of area in Srikakulam district.

Strong claimant

Transworld Garnet Private Limited, which carried out detailed exploration activity including drilling in the region for over two years, is a strong claimant for extracting heavy mineral deposits over 235 acres with Srikurmam as the central point between the Nagavali and the Vamsadhara rivers.

The applications submitted by Andhra Pradesh Mineral Development Corporation, National Mineral Development Corporation, Indian Rare Earths Limited and Trimax are under study.

A lease can be given only after securing clearances from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Shore Area Development Authority as per the Coastal Zone Regulation notification.

A Mining Department official seeking anonymity said that except the case of Trimax for a lease in Srikakulam, the applications of all others were at various stages of consideration.

Damage to environment

"The decision will not only cause destruction to the marine species but also heavy damage to the environment,'' said executive director Ravi Rebbapragada of Samata, an NGO.

Environmentalists feel that the first casualty of beach sand mining will be Olive Ridley turtles -- declared an endangered species and included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (protection) Act of 1972.

The Andhra coast is home to five species of marine turtles found in Indian Ocean -- Olive Ridley, Leather Back, Green Turtle, Loggerhead and Hawks Bill.

The decision has come at a time when animal lovers were rejoicing their success in the conservation drive with the involvement of local fishermen in 24 villages between Visakhapatnam and Bheemunipatnam and Vikas, a local NGO.

Moreover, the December 26 tsunami came as a boon in disguise as the mechanised trawlers did not venture into the ocean in a big way in its aftermath.

Fewer dead turtles

"Though several trawlers have not installed turtle exclusion devices (TEDs), the number of dead turtles found by us on the beach between the city and Bhimunipatnam came down from last year's 110 to 14 this year," said Visakha Society for Prevention to Cruelty to Animals president Pradip Kumar Nath.

The delay in the removal of a structure built for hosting National Games 2002 at Rushikonda and Submarine Museum on the beach near YMCA were also posing problems for Olive Ridley nestings.

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