{"id":52147,"date":"2025-08-25T19:27:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T13:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=52147"},"modified":"2025-08-29T12:50:50","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T07:20:50","slug":"riverbed-mining-sand-replenishment-sc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/riverbed-mining-sand-replenishment-sc","title":{"rendered":"No Riverbed Mining Nod Without Sand Replenishment Study: SC"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In a major decision aimed at curbing environmental damage from<strong> sand mining, <\/strong>the Supreme Court emphasized that <strong>no approval can be granted<\/strong> for <strong>mining in a riverbed without a thorough scientific study.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The court described this<strong> \u201creplenishment study\u201d<\/strong> as a <strong>mandatory requirement,<\/strong> upholding a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/national-green-tribunal-ngt\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/blog\/national-green-tribunal-ngt\/\">National Green Tribunal<\/a> (NGT) order<\/strong> that had cancelled the environmental clearance for a mining project in Jammu and Kashmir.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It emphasised that the <strong>District Survey Report <\/strong>is essential to scientifically determine sustainable extraction limits and prevent the degradation of river ecosystems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Significance of the Judgement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Strengthens the scientific basis for mining clearances.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Reinforces NGT\u2019s role in environmental governance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ensures sustainable sand mining, preventing river ecosystem degradation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sets a precedent that replenishment studies are non-negotiable in granting ECs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sand Mining<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sand mining<\/strong> refers to the removal of sand (a natural resource) from its natural environment\u2014primarily riverbeds, floodplains, beaches, and coastal\/ marine ecosystems\u2014for commercial, industrial, and construction purposes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Why is Sand Mined?&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Construction material:<\/strong> Concrete, mortar, cement, roads, highways, and dams.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Land reclamation and coastal development projects.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Industrial uses:<\/strong> Glass-making, foundry moulds, silicon chips.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Infrastructure growth: <\/strong>Sand is the second most consumed natural resource on Earth after water.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts of Sand Mining<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Leads to Flooding:<\/strong> Excessive sand mining can alter the river bed, force the river to change course, erode banks, and lead to flooding.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Harmful for Corals: <\/strong>Disturbance of underwater and coastal sand causes turbidity in the water, which is harmful for organisms such as corals that need sunlight.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Fisheries Sector:<\/strong> It also destroys fisheries, causing problems for people who rely on fishing for their livelihoods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Impact on Water Table:<\/strong> Sand acts like a sponge, which helps in recharging the water table; its progressive depletion in the river is accompanied by sinking water tables in the nearby areas, adversely impacting people\u2019s daily lives.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Regulation in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Sand is a minor mineral,<\/strong> as defined under section 3(e) of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act 1957).&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sand mining<\/strong> is regulated in terms of the MMDR Act and the Mineral Concession Rules framed by the concerned State Governments \/ Union Territories (UT).\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It empowers the State Governments \/ U.T. Administrations to make rules for preventing illegal mining, transportation, and storage of minerals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Ministry has also issued the<strong> Sustainable Sand Mining Guidelines, 2016, and Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020<\/strong> to put in place an appropriate regulatory regime for sustainable sand mining and adoption of environmentally friendly management practices.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The extraction limit is recommended by the State Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC)<\/strong> after scrutinizing the sand mining proposal on a case-to-case basis.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In 2018, the Ministry<\/strong> laid down the procedure for making a <strong>District Survey Report for sand mining.&nbsp;<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The District Survey Report shall form the basis for application for environmental clearance, preparation of reports, and appraisal of projects, the Report shall be updated once every five years.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Supreme Court\u2019s ruling marks a significant step towards <strong>balancing development with ecological sustainability.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>By making replenishment studies and District Survey Reports mandatory, it ensures that <strong>sand mining is guided by scientific assessment rather than arbitrary clearance.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This not only <strong>safeguards riverine ecosystems and groundwater resources<\/strong> but also strengthens institutional accountability through the NGT and State authorities.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The judgment sets a<strong> strong precedent for sustainable resource governance in India.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/heavy-rains-lash-himachal-pradesh-schools-shut-in-four-districts-shimla-10209571\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>IE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In a major decision aimed at curbing environmental damage from sand mining, the Supreme Court emphasized that no approval can be granted for mining in a riverbed without a thorough scientific study.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The court described this \u201creplenishment study\u201d as a mandatory requirement, upholding a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order that had cancelled the environmental clearance for a mining project in Jammu and Kashmir.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It emphasised that the District Survey Report is essential to scientifically determine sustainable extraction limits and prevent the degradation of river ecosystems.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/25-08-2025\/riverbed-mining-sand-replenishment-sc\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":52193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/08\/riverbed-mining-sand-replenishment-sc.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52147"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52537,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52147\/revisions\/52537"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}