While small-scale extraction of sand by villagers for local use had never posed any problem, excessive extraction of sand and silica sand using heavy machinery and huge trucks has become a big ecological and safety threat in many parts of the country.
This issue has been highlighted recently in the context of the movements against excessive sand extraction from the Ganga in Uttarakhand and also the public interest litigation against violation of mining laws in huge silica sand mines in Shankargarh, which lies in the Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
What is particularly alarming is the threat to the very survival of several rivers due to excessive sand mining. As heavy machines dig deep into these rivers to extract sand from as deep as possible, all forms of river-life are highly affected. Porous sand is capable of absorbing a lot of water and releasing it gradually. With the heavy removal of sand from rivers and river-banks, the possibility of the drying up of rivers or being reduced to a trickle in dry seasons increases significantly. Water table in adjoining villages may also fall drastically. This possibility increases if groundwater in villages is drawn towards the deeper river-bed.
Excessive sand-mining can also lead to many adjoining fields getting submerged or eroded by river water and the river can change its course too. A lot of mining rubble is often deposited in the near-by fields. Trucks overloaded with sand damage riverside farming while rushing to and from rivers. The possibility of floods is increased as heavy rainy season flows are no longer absorbed by sand. The water rushes towards the settlements following the new paths created by trucks and machines.
In these areas, the village roads and the bigger roads get badly damaged by overloaded trucks, bringing a sharp increase in the number of road accidents. In places like Bundelkhand, sand mafias are known to be well-armed with strong political connections at higher levels such that the villagers are scared to oppose their destructive activities. Shankargarh area of Allahabad district is widely known as the biggest supplier of silica sand to the glass industry. In an inspection made by Director of Mines Safety, Varanasi, in August 2011 in silica sand mines of six villages of Shankargarh, glaring violations of mining rules were noticed. Unqualified persons without any duly qualified blaster were given the task of blasting, thus endangering the life and safety of persons employed in the mine.
The inspection report of the Mining Safety Directorate noted further that the sides of the opencast workings in all the above-mentioned six mines were not kept benched or sloped, and stood near vertical over a height of 6m-10m. Loose boulders were allowed to remain within 3m of the top edges of opencast workings. Undercuts and overhangs were also observed on sides of opencast workings. Mines in Gadwa and Parvezabad were being worked by deployment of heavy earth moving machinery, without obtaining any permission from this Directorate.
At none of these mines was the top of the opencast working kept fenced. Out-of-use pits had also not been backfilled. Protective footwear and helmets were not provided to workers in any of the mines. Employment and attendance records of persons employed in the mines, including in washing/beneficiation plants were not maintained. Furthermore, this report also noted that proper facilities of drinking water, first aid, ambulance and rest shelters were not provided anywhere.
Pointing out glaring violation of rules, this report said that quarterly and annual returns of the mines were not being submitted to the Safety Directorate. None of the mines were placed under the sole charge of a manager, holding qualifications as prescribed by these regulations.
Much earlier, a team of the National Human Rights Commission, of which the writer was a member, had also drawn attention to the violation of rules and norms in these and other mines of this area. Several of the recent violations of rules have received public exposure due to the use of RTI and public interest cases filed by a small voluntary organisation named Jagriti Sansthaan. Its activists faced a serious threat to their lives while trying to reveal various irregularities committed by silica sand miners. Clearly, there is a much greater need for vigilance.
