Supreme Court seeks report by Directorate of Enforcement (ED) on illegal sand mining in Tamil Nadu

Posted 07 May 2024

2 min read

About Sand Resource:

Sand is the second most exploited natural resource in the world after water (as per the United Nations Environment Programme).
Main sources: Rivers (riverbed and flood plain), lakes and reservoirs, coastal /marine sand, etc.
Regulation in India: Sand is a minor minerals under the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act).
- The regulation of minor mineral (including control of illegal mining) comes under the legislative and administrative domain of the State Governments.
Illegal Sand Mining is prevalent in the country mainly due to poor enforcement of regulation (domination of organized crime groups (sand mafias)), lack of sustainable alternatives, etc.

Biodiversity- Both, inland and coastal sand mining leads to habitat loss of aquatic (also marine) and terrestrial flora and fauna.
Hydrological function- Change in water flows, lowering of the water table, also polluting ground water, increase in salinity levels in rivers etc.
Infrastructures- Damage to bridges, river embankments and coastal infrastructure.
Extreme events- Decline of protection against extreme events such as floods, storm surge etc.

Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines (2016) supplemented by the Enforcement & Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining-2020 for restoration and maintenance of river ecology.
Sand Mining Framework (2018) by Ministry of Mines.
- Framework envisages alternative sources of sand in form of Manufactured Sand (M-Sand) from crushed rock fines, and sand from Overburden (OB) of coal mines.
  - Overburden (also called waste or spoil) refers to the material that lies above an area that lends itself to economical exploitation, such as the rock, soil, and ecosystem that lies above a coal seam or ore body.

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