Villagers join hands against illegal sand mining along Assam-Meghalaya border

News: Villagers of Assam and Meghalaya have come together against illegal sand mining in the rivers along the border between the states. Indiscriminate sand mining has affected the area’s ecosystem, including the habitats of the Gangetic Dolphins.

1. Sand mining is defined as the removal of primary natural sand and sand resources from the natural environment for various uses such as construction, industrial processes, and manufacturing.

2. In India, sand is categorised as a minor mineral under the Mines and Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957.

3. Major sources of sand include rivers (riverbed and flood plain), lakes and reservoirs, agricultural fields, coastal/marine sand etc.

4. Harmful impacts of sand mining include biodiversity loss and habitat destruction, groundwater depletion, infrastructural damage, increased flooding and sedimentation.

5. Indian government has launched Sustainable Sand Management Guidelines (2016), Sand Mining Framework (2018) to encourage sustainable sand mining.

6. Gangetic Dolphins: They have been historically found in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems of Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

7. They can only live in freshwater. They are essentially blind and hunt by emitting ultrasonic sounds.

8. They are listed in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and classified as Endangered by the IUCN.