Sand plays an important role in ecosystem services, critical infrastructure for economic development, community livelihoods, and biodiversity conservation. It is either directly or indirectly related to all 17 SDGs. Despite its strategic importance, sand extraction, sourcing, use, and management are largely unregulated in many parts of the world, resulting in a slew of environmental and social consequences that have gone unnoticed. In this article, we will discuss Guidelines for Sustainable Sand & Minor Mineral Mining which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

What is Sand Mining?

• Sand mining is the process of removing sand and gravel, and it is becoming an environmental issue as the demand for sand in industry and construction grows.
• Sand mining is the extraction of sand, typically through an open pit (or sand pit), but also from beaches and inland dunes, as well as from ocean and river beds.
• Sand is frequently used in manufacturing, such as as an abrasive or in concrete.
• It is also used on icy and snowy roads, usually in conjunction with salt, to reduce the melting point temperature of the road surface.
• Sand can be used to replace eroded coastline. Some applications necessitate a higher level of purity than others; for example, sand used in concrete must be free of seashell fragments.
• Sand mining allows for the extraction of rutile, ilmenite, and zircon, all of which contain the industrially useful elements titanium and zirconium.
• Beach sand may also contain garnet, leucoxene, sillimanite, and monazite in addition to these minerals. These minerals are frequently found in ordinary sand deposits.
• Thousands of tonnes of sand are being illegally mined to meet the rising demand of the construction industry and for mineral extraction, despite a Supreme Court order that prohibits sand mining without the necessary clearance from the required authorities and limits the quantities that can be mined.

Guidelines to Monitor Sand Mining - Background

• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 empowered state governments to enact regulations to prevent illegal mining, transportation, and storage of minerals.
• However, there were a large number of illegal mining cases in the country, and in some cases, many of the officers were killed while carrying out their duties to combat illegal mining.
• Illegal and uncontrolled illegal mining also costs the state money and degrades the environment.

Sustainable Sand and Minor Mineral Mining - Guidelines

Where to mine and where to prohibit mining

• District Survey Report for each district in the country, focusing on the river as a single ecological system.
• ISRO, remote sensing data, and ground truthing are all used.

Sustainable mining

• It involves extracting only the amount of material that is deposited each year.

District authorities' participation in the process

• The District Collector chairs the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA).
• The District Collector will be assisted by the District Level Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC), which is led by the Executive Engineer (Irrigation Department) and is tasked with granting environmental clearance for up to 5 hectares of mine lease area for minor minerals, primarily sand.
• The district administration, which is critical in assessing sand requirements and prohibiting illegal sand mining in the district, is directly involved in environmental clearance.

Monitoring with scientific tools

• Strict monitoring of the movement of mined out material from source to destination using information technology tools, bar coding, SMS, and so on.
• There is currently no authentic data on how much sand is mined; this system will generate real-time data on mined out sand. Sand movement is governed by a Transit Permit.
• The District Collector and the State Pollution Control Board will oversee the monitoring of mined out minerals, Environmental Clearance, EC conditions, and the enforcement of the Environment Management Plan (EMP).
• The Central Pollution Control Board, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change, and the agency designated by the Ministry can monitor the implementation of EC conditions.

Exemptions

• Proposal to exempt certain categories from mining for the purpose of environmental clearance, such as.
  • Hereditary Kumhars (potters) who make earthen pots on a cottage industry basis manually extract ordinary clay or ordinary sand.

• Extraction of ordinary clay or sand by hand by earthen tile makers working in a cottage industry.
• Owner farmers removed sand deposited on agricultural fields following a flood.
• Customary extraction of sand and ordinary earth from Gram Panchayat sources for personal use or community work in a village.
• MGNREGS and other government-sponsored schemes fund community projects such as the desilting of village ponds/tanks and the construction of village/rural roads and bunds.
• Dredging and desilting of dams, reservoirs, weirs, barrages, rivers, and canals for maintenance and upkeep, and the dredged material is used departmentally.
• If the dredging activities are carried out for the purpose of extracting minerals and selling them commercially, they are considered mining and require prior EC.

Guideline for dealing with cluster issues

• The original EIA notification does not include a procedure for dealing with cluster situations, which has been proposed in this guideline and will be included in the Notification.
• If the area is greater than 5 hectares, only one EIA/EMP will be prepared for that cluster, regardless of the number and size of mining leases in that cluster. B2 will cover an area of less than 5 hectares.

Guidelines for Sustainable Sand Mining Management in 2016

• To promote sustainable sand extraction, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests released guidelines that emphasise monitoring of mined out material, which is critical to the success of an environment management plan. It has proposed utilising "alternative sand and gravel sources."
• The guidelines' main goals were:
  • to ensure that sand and gravel mining is done in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner;
  • to ensure that an adequate quantity of aggregate is available in a sustainable manner;
  • to improve the effectiveness of mining monitoring and transportation of mined out material;
  • to conserve the river's equilibrium and natural environment through the protection and restoration of the ecological system;
  • avoid aggradation at the downstream reach, particularly those with hydraulic structures such as jetties, water intakes, and so on;
  • to ensure that rivers are protected from bank and bed erosion beyond their stable profile; no obstruction to river flow, water transport, and restoring riparian rights and in-stream habitats;
  • to avoid pollution of river water leading to water quality deterioration;
  • to avoid depletion of groundwater reserves due to excessive groundwater draining; and
  • streamlining the process for granting environmental clearance (EC) for sustainable mining.

Enforcement and Monitoring Guidelines for Sand Mining 2020

• These new set of guidelines focus on effective sand mining monitoring, from the identification of sand mineral sources to its dispatch and end-use by consumers and the general public, and considers a uniform protocol for the entire country.
• Constantly monitor mining activity with drones and at night with night-vision drones.
• States must conduct river audits and make detailed survey reports on all mining areas public.
• Sand and other riverbed materials (RBM) are sold and purchased online to increase transparency in the process.
• It directs states to form district-level task forces.
• In cases where rivers become district or state boundaries, the districts or states sharing the boundary shall form a combined task force for monitoring mined materials and mining activity, as well as participate in the preparation of District Survey Reports (DSR) by providing appropriate inputs.
• Conduct a replenishment study for river bed sand in order to mitigate the negative effects of excessive sand extraction.
• During the monsoon, no riverbed mining will be permitted.

Constitutional / Legal Framework of Mining Sector in India

• The entry at serial No. 23 of List II (State List) of the Indian Constitution mandates that the state government own the minerals located within its borders.
• The entry at serial No. 54 of List I (Central List) requires the central government to own the minerals within India's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (MMDR) Act of 1957 was drafted in response to this.
• Furthermore, the Central Government notifies certain minerals as'minor' minerals from time to time, for which the State Government has sole authority over the procedures for seeking and granting mineral concessions, determining royalty and dead rent rates, and revising orders.
• Building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, and ordinary sand are all examples of minor minerals.
• The approval of the Central Government is required for minerals listed in the First Schedule to the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957.
• Minerals in Schedule I include coal and lignite, as well as minerals from the "rare earths" group, which include Uranium and Thorium.

Conclusion

Sand mining harms the river ecosystem and bridge safety by weakening riverbeds, destroying natural habitats of organisms living on riverbeds, interfering with fish breeding and migration, and increasing saline water in rivers. Lack of enforcement of sand-mining regulations, as well as insufficient subsidy programmes for affected communities, have a negative impact on coastal welfare. The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act of 1957 empowered state governments to enact regulations to prevent illegal mining, transportation, and storage of minerals.

FAQs

Question. What is sustainable sand mining?

Question. Why is sand mining important?

Question. What are the guidelines for monitoring sand mining?

Question. What is the role of district authorities in sand mining?

Question. How does technology help in sustainable sand mining?

MCQs

1. What is the primary goal of sustainable sand mining?

A) To increase sand production

B) To extract only the replenished amount of sand annually

C) To reduce the cost of sand mining

D) To eliminate sand from the environment

2. Who is responsible for granting environmental clearance for sand mining in a district?

A) State Pollution Control Board

B) District Collector

C) Ministry of Environment

D) Central Pollution Control Board

3. Which of the following is NOT an exemption from sand mining regulations?

A) Hereditary Kumhars extracting sand manually

B) Sand extraction for flood-related agricultural use

C) Sand extraction for commercial use without clearance

D) Sand mining by village panchayats for local community work

4. Which technology is used to monitor the movement of mined sand?

A) GPS tracking

B) Barcoding and SMS tracking

C) Drones

D) Satellite imaging

5. What is the role of the Environment Management Plan (EMP) in sustainable mining?

A) To ensure mining continues without regulation

B) To address environmental impacts and monitor compliance

C) To maximize sand extraction

D) To reduce mining costs

GS Mains Questions and Model Answers

Q1: Discuss the significance of sustainable sand mining in the context of environmental conservation.

Answer: Sustainable sand mining is crucial to maintaining ecological balance. Over-extraction of sand from riverbeds and coastal areas can lead to erosion, habitat loss, and depletion of natural resources. By adhering to guidelines that regulate sand extraction to the amount naturally replenished, environmental degradation is minimized. The use of technology to monitor mining activities ensures that illegal practices are curbed and that sand mining remains within sustainable limits, protecting biodiversity and ecosystem health.

Q2: Evaluate the role of technological innovations in the management of sustainable sand mining.

Answer: Technological innovations play a significant role in sustainable sand mining by providing tools to monitor and regulate mining activities. Barcoding, SMS alerts, and real-time data collection systems help track the movement of sand, ensuring that it is extracted legally and in compliance with environmental standards. Remote sensing data from agencies like ISRO further aids in mapping and monitoring mining areas, detecting illegal activities, and assessing environmental impacts. These technologies ensure transparency and accountability in the sand mining sector, facilitating sustainable practices.

Q3: Analyze the challenges faced in enforcing sustainable sand mining guidelines in India.

Answer: Despite the clear guidelines for sustainable sand mining, enforcement remains a significant challenge in India due to illegal mining, lack of proper monitoring infrastructure, and administrative inefficiencies. Corruption, inadequate manpower, and the high demand for sand in construction lead to violations of regulations. Additionally, the absence of authentic data on sand extraction complicates the task of monitoring mining activities. To overcome these challenges, stricter enforcement, improved technological integration, and better community awareness are essential to ensuring compliance with sustainable mining practices.

Previous Year Questions on Guidelines for Sustainable Sand & Minor Mineral Mining

1. UPSC CSE 2017

Question: "Discuss the environmental and social impacts of sand mining and suggest measures for sustainable sand mining management."

Answer: Sand mining has serious environmental impacts, including riverbed erosion, habitat destruction, and biodiversity loss. It also leads to groundwater depletion and water quality degradation. Socially, illegal mining can disrupt local communities and lead to conflicts. Measures for sustainable sand mining include implementing stringent regulations, using technology for real-time monitoring, enforcing environmental impact assessments, and promoting alternative materials to reduce reliance on sand extraction.

2. UPSC CSE 2018

Question: "What are the key guidelines for sustainable sand and minor mineral mining in India?"

Answer: The guidelines for sustainable sand mining focus on limiting extraction to the replenishable amount each year, using scientific tools like remote sensing and GIS for monitoring, and ensuring transparency in the movement of mined sand. These guidelines also emphasize the involvement of district authorities in assessing sand mining and issuing environmental clearances, along with strict enforcement of environmental management plans (EMPs). Exemptions for certain categories like hereditary Kumhars and village-based projects are also included in the guidelines.