Reportage on the suspension of the now famous bureaucrat, Durga Shakti Nagpal — for ordering a crackdown on illegal sand mining in the rivers of Uttar Pradesh (UP) — recently reached a feverish pitch. The media was agog. With loud debates, discussions and speeches dominating front pages and prime time television. Then like every time in the past, something more sensational hit the newsroom. And the fever abated...
However, if we follow the trend and choose to remain indifferent, the consequence would be grim. Much grimmer than you and I can imagine. Our rivers might disappear altogether from the ecosystem.
But before we tell you how, let us get some facts cleared. Have you been wondering what all this fuss over sand is about? What turns the humble, seemingly-plentiful sand into Newsmaker Numero Uno? Why is it mined? How does that ruin our rivers? Why is illegal sand mining one of the toughest challenges law keepers face? Why was the now-suspended officer so determined to stop it? Most importantly, should You be as determined too?
Concrete solutions
Here, we break it down for you. We then move ahead to find solutions. And explore the critical (and practical) task of finding Alternatives. Can sand be replaced? Is there any viable substitute that can meet the demand for sand? Our objective here is not to sketch the anatomy of sand mining. But to investigate how the damage it inflicts can be salvaged.
Routinely ravaged
“When I see a building, I think of a river”, says Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment.
Confused? Wondering what is the connection between a sprawling mall, a huge hospital, a humble house or an office complex and a river? Let us explain.
No. Concrete and cement is not the same thing. Cement is actually just a component of concrete. Your house is built from sand, stone, gravel and cement. Even though cement is used in the least quantity, everyone still plans for it. But remember, it is only a binder. And there are no estimates of the amount of sand used. It is, after all, a ‘natural material’.
First of all, there is nothing sinister about dredging river beds periodically to remove sand deposits. It is routinely done in every part of the world. Sometime to widen the channel, at other times to clean out mounting piles to avoid floods. But what is happening in Uttar Pradesh and almost all other Indian states can only be described as plunder. River beds are being literally emptied out. Why? To meet the demand of the construction industry. The amount required is massive, and will only grow ‘massive-er’ in the coming years.
Construction in India is at an all-time high. We will come to the numbers later. It suffices to know that concrete is the base of all construction activity. It is the second most consumed material after water. And what is concrete made of? Sand — the cheap and vital ingredient. And where does sand come from? Rivers, of course!
Numbers that numb: Construction industry
Here is an interesting analysis. Nearly three tonnes of concrete is used annually for each person on the planet. India consumes an estimated 450 million cubic metre of concrete annually, which approximately translates to 1 tonne per Indian. Thankfully, we are still far away from the global consumption levels. But here is the problem. Do we have enough sand to make concrete?
Gobar Gyaan:
Minerals are classified into two groups: Major minerals and Minor minerals. Amongst these two groups minor mineral have been defined under Section 3 (e) of Mines and Minerals (Regulation and Development) Act, 1957. They include building stones, gravel, ordinary clay, ordinary sand, limestone used for lime burning, boulders, kankar, murum, brick earth, bentonite, road metal, slate, marble, stones used for making household utensils etc. Therefore, all other minerals not defined as minor minerals in the said Act are treated as major minerals. They include coal, manganese ore, iron ore, bauxite, limestone, kyanite, sillimanite, barites, chromite, silica sand, fluorite, quartz, sand used for stowing purposes in coal mines and many other minerals used for industrial purposes.
The construction industry, as we are all witnessing, is growing in India. It accounts for about 8 per cent of the country’s annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP). As reported in The Hindu,it is expected to clock more than 10 per cent compounded annual growth rate, which could make it the world’s third largest construction industry by 2025.The government promises to invest in infrastructure up to an extent of 10 per cent of GDP under the 12th Five Year Plan.
Sky rocketing growth figures and promising investment plans — but at the cost of what? More construction means more sand. But where is all the sand coming from? Who is accounting for the illegal, unregulated mining of sand from the rivers? And who is bearing the damage?
What sand mining does to the rivers
Think of it like this. Sand is a natural carpet on the bottom of a river. It acts as an aquifer. What will happen if this carpet is removed? Erosion of sand will cause deepening of rivers and estuaries and enlargement of river mouths. Habitats will be affected. As the river system will lower, local groundwater will be disturbed, leading to water scarcities aggravating agriculture and local livelihoods.
Minor mineral, major damage
Sand is classified as a ‘minor mineral’.
Mining of minor minerals was allowed in India without the approval of the Central government until February 2012. Only mining of major minerals had to undergo Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and environment clearance procedure under the Environment Protection Act of 1986. In the case of minor minerals, the procedure was only applicable to mining leases for 5 hectares (ha) or more. Sure enough, those owning mines over large tracts of land figured a way out. They surreptitiously broke up the mine area into smaller parcels and obtained separate leases for them.
This was before the Supreme Court’s judgement saying all mining leases by the state governments and Union territories will need environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
Alas, by May 2012, MoEF had washed its hands of the responsibility by devolving it to the state environment impact assessment authorities (SEIA).
Centre and the states have been passing the buck since. There is no system in place for clearances. End result? Mining continues, either with the stamp of clearance from SEIA, or, illegally.
See, this is how sand mining has been thriving unchecked in our country. Another major reason for this is the lack of rules and regulations. Also, sand mining continues because of various social and economic dilemmas. It brings revenue to state government and panchayats.
The relationship between local politicians, contractors, and bureaucrats emerge to create a power nexus capable of discouraging community-based resistance. It is this nexus that makes up the ‘sand mafia’.
MINING HOTSPOTS
The largest number of field reports of illegal mining comes from Punjab, Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Haryana. These are just the States that are recording a high level of construction activity. Its list of heavily mined rivers runs into more than a couple of dozens.
Kerala: Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001permits sand mining in select areas. Each selected area or Kadavu is managed by a Committee. Rivers affected: Bharatapuzha, Kuttiyadi river, Achankovil, Pampa and Manimala, Periyar, Bhavani, Siruvani, Thuthapuzha, and Chitturpuzha, rivers in the catchments of Ashtamudi and Vembanad lakes.
Tamil Nadu: Policy ensured quarrying of sand in government poramboke lands and private patta lands to be undertaken only by the Government. Mechanised sand mining was prohibited. In 2008, this policy was countermanded . Rivers affected: Cauvery, Vaigai, Palar, Cheyyar, Araniyar and Kosathalaiyar, Bhavani, Vellar , Vaigai Thamiraparani, Kollidam. coastal districts of Nagapattinam, Tuticorin, Ramanatha-puram and Kanyakumari hill regions of Salem.
Karnataka: The Uniform Sand Mining Policy does not allow sand mining in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area and prohibits the use of machineries to mine sand from river. Rivers affected: Cauvery, Lakshmanateerta, Harangi, Hemavathi, Nethravatai, Papagani Andhra Pradesh: The government brought in a policy that allows only manual labour and bullocks to mine sand in riverbeds. Rivers affected: Godavari, Tungabhadra, Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Bahuda and Mahendratanaya.
Maharashtra: It is compulsory for contractors to obtain permission from the Gramsabha for sand mining.
Rivers affected: Creeks at Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri
Gujarat: Rivers Ambika, Purna,Kaveri, Tapi and Khapra are severely affected . Mining is forming cavities in the riverbed and accelerating water salinity.
Bihar: Illegal mining is rampant in places such as Bhagalpur, Banka, Munger, Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura, Patna, Bhojpur, Navada, Rohtas, Buxar, Gaya and Nalanda.
Call to Action
So, what needs to be done? What should be the way ahead? First and foremost, illegal mining must be stopped. Rules for legal and regulated mining of minerals such as sand should be treated as critical. All extraction zones should be carefully monitored. Mining areas should be planned as clusters. Regional-level environmental impact assessments should be done to estimate the hydro-geology of any river stretch and the amount of sand that can be extracted from it sustainably. Most importantly, we should be looking at alternatives.
RECYCLE CONSTRUCTION WASTE
Before we talk about alternatives, it is important for us to realise the importance of recycling construction waste. About 10 to 12 million tonnes of construction waste is generated in India annually, and only a portion of it is reused.
The Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000, require construction debris to be separated, but it is often mixed with other waste and discarded.
The devastation in Uttarakhand is a lesson waiting to be learnt. This Himalayan region has been witnessing unchecked, unregulated construction, legal and illegal mining, unscientific road building and, of course, construction of hydropower projects in dangerously close proximity. On the fateful day of the tragedy, when 200 mm of rain came down, it brought along huge amounts of construction debris. If the construction waste of the area was recycled, the destruction could have been less fatal. Far less devastating.
Recycling of construction waste is a critical issue and the Uttarakhand tragedy has made sure we wake up to this stark reality. Bricks and concrete should be crushed for aggregates. In countries, including Australia, concrete and brickwork are reused to lay roads. Why can the same not be done in our country?
There is no documented quantification of amount of construction and demolition (C&D) waste being generated in India. Not surprising, is it??Municipal Corporation of Delhi says it is collecting 4,000 tonnes of C&D waste daily from the city which amounts to 1.5 million tonnes of waste annually. Discount all the illegal waste dumped around the city, even the official 1.5 million of C&D waste if recycled, can significantly substitute demand for natural sand. But who is listening?
SUBSTITUTES FOR SAND
1. From landfills to buildings:
M-sand
The widely accepted replacement for natural sand is M-sand, or manufactured sand. This is produced by grinding stone gravel and also obtained as a by-product. Fine particles are left behind when rocks are cut and broken to make gravel. Instead of dumping them in landfill sites, sensible material manufacturers store, sieve, clean and use it like sand. However, not all rock dust could serve as such a replacement. Flaky dust could affect the workability of mortar, and the presence of chemicals could affect the strength of concrete. Only those particles that meet the specifications of chemical properties, shape and size qualify.
2. Refining metal, creating sand: Copper slag
Presently, worldwide, about 33 million tonnes of copper slag is generated annually with India contributing 6-6.5 million tonnes. Copper slag is a by-product obtained during copper smelting and refining. Fifty per cent copper slag can be used as replacement of sand in order to obtain good strength and durable concrete, recommends Khalifa S Al Jabri of Oman in the journals Cement and Concrete Composites and Construction and Building Material. Back in India, a study carried out by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) has also shown that copper slag can be used as a partial sand replacement (up to 40 per cent in pavement grade concrete) without any loss of cohesiveness.
3. ABC of GBFS: Granulated blast furnace slag
According to the report of the Working Group on Cement Industry for the 12th five year plan, around 10 million tonnes granulated blast furrnace slag (GBFS) is currently being generated in the country from iron and steel industry. M C Nataraja in his study published in the International Journal Structure & Civil Engineering Research, says that the compressive strength of cement mortar increases as the replacement level of GBFS increases. He further concludes that from the test results it is clear that GBFS sand can be used as an alternative to natural sand from the point of view of strength. Use of GBFS up to 75 per cent is recommended.
4. Hitting rock bottom? Not with bottom ash
India is currently producing an excess of 100 million tonnes of coal ash. Out of the total ash produced in any thermal power plant, approximately 15 –20 per cent is bottom ash. Rest being fly ash, which has found many takers. However, bottom ash still continues to pollute the environment with no safe disposal mechanism. Mohd Syahrul Hisyam of Malaysia offers a solution. In his study published in the International Journal of Sustainable Construction Engineering & Technology, he says that the mechanical properties of special concrete made with 30 per cent replacement of natural sand with washed bottom ash by weight has an optimum usage in concrete in order to get a favourable strength.
5. Crushed reality: Quarry dust
About 20 to 25 per cent of the total production in each crusher unit is left out as the waste material - quarry dust. (A crusher unit has crushing machines that break large stones to smaller ones). Chandana Sukesh in his study published in the International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering says that the ideal percentage of the replacement of sand with the quarry dust is 55 per cent to 75 per cent in case of compressive strength. He further says that if combined with fly ash, 100 per cent sand replacement can be achieved. The use of fly ash in concrete is desirable because of benefits such as increased workability, reduction of cement consumption, increased sulfate resistance and decreased permeability.
6. Found and lost: Foundry sand
India ranks fourth in terms of total foundry production (7.8 million tonnes) according to the 42nd Census of World Casting Production of 2007. Foundry Sand is high quality silica sand and is a by-product of the ferrous and nonferrous metal casting industry. It is regularly discarded by the metal industry. Currently, there is no mechanism for its disposal, but international studies say that up to 30 per cent foundry sand can be utilised for economical and sustainable development of concrete.
WHAT DO WE NEED? A CHANGE.
To build or not to build…
Now that we have had a look at the alternatives, here is the problem.
The standard laid down by the Bureau of Indian Standards, which applies to all construction works, stipulates that concrete can be made only with “naturally accessed material”. This very conveniently rules out the use of a lot of recycled material.
“How do we communicate the alternative methodologies to architects, contractors, builders, government and make them take it up outside of their comfort zone? When they would rather just continue with the same old? How will government regulations and people's concern over safety be addressed?,” asks Tanya Kewalramani , Creative Director, Centre for Ethical Life and Leadership, Gurgaon.
Yes, growth is important.
Yes, infrastructure and development are intertwined.
But we cannot court disaster to pay the price of growth.
So the time has come for us to fix our priorities. To develop, but not suck the rivers dry. To enhance basic infrastructure, but rein in the demand for sand. Mission impossible? Not really. We just have to learn to choose smartly. Between a hospital and a mall. A luxury apartment and a school.
Because we can no longer afford unbridled building.
With inputs from Avikal Somvanshi
Slider Heading:
Are our Heads Stuck in the Sand??
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