Ban on sand-mining in Valapattanam river lifted

The ban on sand mining in most of the riverine sand-mining locations (‘kadavus’) on the Valapattanam river was lifted with effect from May 23.

District Collector P. Bala Kiran in an official press release announced here that the sand mining would resume on Sunday in the ‘kadavus’ on the river except the ones at Kummayakkadavu in the Narath panchayat and Mankadavu in the Pappinissery panchayat.

The Collector instructed the secretaries of the respective local bodies to ensure that the sand mining in the kadavus comply with orders of the government and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and provisions in the environmental clearance.

Though the sand mining ban in the district had been lifted in February, several ‘kadavus’ on the Valapattanam river were exempted from the order as local activists raised environmental concerns at Pamburuthi, a tiny island in the river.

The activists had even approached the NGT demanding total ban on sand mining in areas surrounding the island. The sand mining ban had thus continued in the 12 kadavus located between Parassinikkadavu bridge and the Valapattanam bridge including the kadavus in the Kolachery, Pappinissery and Narath panchayats.

The sand mining would resume in 10 of these kadavus on Sunday.

The activists had even approached the NGT demanding total ban on sand mining.