Sand mining, apparently, is hit by the surging water levels in River Godavari and River Krishna. Only eight reaches in the State are currently in operation though the State government has opened 25 reaches after announcing the new sand policy.
Most of the reaches in Krishna, East and West Godavari districts have been closed due to rising water levels. The sand that was stored on the banks of the Godavari in West Godavari was washed away in the floods in the river. The sand excavation in this district would be 500 to 600 metric tonnes per day. The officials are yet to assess the losses in this regard.
The government got environmental clearance (EC) for 99 reaches across the State. In East Godavari district alone 25 sand reaches were identified. Unlike other reaches, the sand excavation is done manually in East and West Godavari districts. As the river is in spate, the excavation is suspended. While there were bookings for 7,500 metric tonnes a couple of days ago, the government delivered 7,120 tonnes only.
Huge demand
It is estimated that the State requires nearly 2 crore cubic metres of sand per year. However, only 1.2 to 1.4 crore cubic metres of sand can be excavated from the available reaches. The daily average demand has been pegged between 10,000 and 12,000 metric tonnes. The figures were calculated on the basis of the proportionate purchase of cement in the State. “In spite of all constraints, we are managing to meet the demand. During the lean period also, we could supply about 1,600 tractor loads of sand,” says a senior official.
Kanchala in Krishna district, Pottipalem in Nellore, Kalikiri in Chittoor and Gudipalli in Anantapur are some of the reaches that are functioning. Anantapur district has 7,25,831 cubic metres of sand stock and has established 10 sand reaches in the district for extraction and sale with the help of the Andhra Pradesh Mining Development Corporation.
Govt. fixes quota
The government has fixed that 50 tonnes of sand would be supplied for construction of a house of 1,000 sft. The consumer would have to enter details of his or her house and the system would automatically generate the bill along with the details of sand to be supplied. Only 20 tonnes of sand is supplied per booking. The consumer cannot book for next 72 hours thereafter.
