An expert report last month has revealed that indiscriminate sand mining in the catchment area and the consequent flattening of the river bed was directly responsible for the August 2019 floods in the Malaprabha basin.
Despite the warning, the sand mining – many illegal extractions is also going on - continues unabated in the Malaprabha river basin in Bagalkot, the home district of Minister for Mines and Geology Murugesh Nirani.
Sudhir Sajjan, a technical assistant to Managing Director of Krishna Bhagya Jala Nigam Limited (KBJNL), after studying the changes in the Malaprabha river basin, a major tributary of River Krishna, in his report titled ‘The flood phenomena at the Malaprabha basin’ has mentioned: “It is undoubtedly the spurt in the mining activity in the catchment area, which is the root cause for recurring floods in the river.” This was a study sanctioned by KBJNL.
But, in Bagalkot district, the authorities concerned seem to have ignored the expert’s warning and have let indiscriminate mining go on unabated.
Fayaz, District Mines and Geology officer at Bagalkot denied that there is illegal sand mining in the district.
When asked about Sudhir Sajjan’s findings, Fayaz told DH: “The department is not aware of any such report given to the KBJNL. The department this year has given sanctions to 39 sand points. The rumours about illegal sand mining are baseless.”
Farmlands turn mines
Sand extraction from riverbed has now turned into a major business attracting those from the district and from parts of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Many farmers of the district – Bagalkot is crisscrossed by Krishna and Malaprabha rivers - these days prefer extracting sand from their land or leasing their lands for hefty sums.
Badami, Jalihaal, Hungund, Rabkavi, Banahatti, Jamkhandi, Ilkal, Bilagi and Mudhol taluks, on the banks of Malaprabha and Ghataprabha, have a rich deposit of high-quality sand. The demand for sand from these areas is high and as a result, farmers prefer sand mining to farm.
The region is said to have several illegal sand points as against 35 to 40 legal points sanctioned every year by the Mines & Geology Department.
Revenue loss to govt
Mindless extraction of sand has inflicted irreparable damage to nature. Thanks to illegal mining, the government is also losing revenue. The government now gets around Rs 1 crore as royalty from these mines every month but it will go up substantially if illegal mines are regularised, say locals.
A contractor on condition of anonymity admitted that without illegal mining, it would be difficult to sustain in the business. “After paying bribes, what remains from the earnings is paltry. Hence, illegal mining and over-loading of vehicles are inevitable to remain in business,” he said.
Now that Murugesh Nirani, the minister for mines and geology hails from this district, activists and environmentalists hope that there will be a brake on the illegal mining activities in the district.
Will the minister be able to contain this menace? Environmentalists are not hopeful but say it is an opportunity for Nirani to prove them wrong. Despite repeated attempts by DH, the minister was not available for comment.