2023 Riverbed Mining India: 261 deaths in Violence & Accidents in 11 Months

April 4, 2023April 4, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: Agitated people clashing with police force after a 27 year old person was crushed to death by a speeding truck transporting sand from Subarnarekha river in Dahmura area under Gopivallabhpur in West Mednapore district in Feb. 2023. The report also mentioned about 12 policemen getting injured in the incident. Image Source: TV9 )

Rivers eco-system in India have been facing significant destruction and threats from unsustainable and illegal mining of minor minerals. Quarrying of riverbeds for gravels, sand, stones, murram by giant machines has not only been disturbing the surface flows, groundwater recharge functions of the rivers but also damaging essential infrastructure including bridges, embankments, drinking and irrigational water supply facilities.

The dependent aquatic species, riverine wildlife and riparian communities all are at the receiving end of the unaccounted and unaddressed impacts of destructive riverbed mining practices. Moreover, the brazen mining and transportation operations have also been resulting in avoidable accidents and violent incidents causing untimely deaths and grievous injuries to hundreds of people.

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Sand Mining

2023: Riverbed Mining Deaths & Violence in South India

March 21, 2023March 21, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: The spot where the 7 girls were drowned (in sand mine pit) at A. Kuchipalayam, near Cuddalore, in Tamil Nadu on June 5, 2022. The Hindu)

This report (fourth part of our series on this subject in 2023) summarizes the detailed compilation tracking the human death toll and violent incidents related to illegal and unsustainable riverbed mining activities in Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in 11 months between April 2022 and February 2023. The first three parts of the series have covered sand mining related human casualties and violence in North, East and West Zones for the same period.

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Sand Mining

2023: Riverbed Mining Deaths & Violence in WEST INDIA

March 15, 2023March 15, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Wreckage of sand laden tractor after collision with sand loaded truck in Dholpur, Rajasthan in June 2022. Image Source: Patrika)

After analysis of the riverbed mining related deaths and violence incidents in North and East Indian states in Part one and Part two between April 2022 and February 2023, this third part in the series presents the summary of detailed compilation on the topic in West Indian states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa for the period.

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Sand Mining

2023: Riverbed Mining Deaths & Violence in East India

March 8, 2023April 4, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

(Feature Image: A sand loaded truck overturned on a passenger auto killing 5 people & injuring 5 others in Motihari, Bihar in Sept. 2022. Image Source: Dainik Jagran)

In this second part, SANDRP present summary report on riverbed minerals mining related human deaths and violent incidents in East Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and in North Eastern states of Assam and Manipur during April 2022 to February 2023. The detailed tabular report compiling all these incidents in past 11 months can be seen here. The first part of the series tracking the human death toll on account of illegal, unsustainable sand mining activities in North Indian states for the same period can be seen here.

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Sand Mining

2023: Riverbed Mining Death & Violence in North India

March 3, 2023April 4, 2023 SANDRPLeave a comment

( A dumper driver being rescued from smashed cabin of a dumper after it rammed into a stationary sand loaded truck causing death of a mechanic in Varanasi in May 2022. Source: Amar Ujala)

The unsustainable and unlawful riverbed mining activities in India have not only been damaging the precious river eco-systems, livelihoods of riparian communities and crucial public infrastructures but also have been causing untimely, avoidable deaths of innocent people including common citizens, villagers, farmers, activists, reporters and government officials.

For the past five years, SANDRP has been trying to track the sand mining related deaths and violence in India. Like previous years, we have prepared a compilation of reports and this summary report on human death toll due to sand mining related violence and accidents during April 2022 and February 2023 in North Indian states and Union Territories including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi. We would publish similar reports for North East & East, West, South Zones and final summary report on the topic soon.

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Sand Mining

Sand & Stone Mining: 45 lives lost in fatal accidents in a week

January 27, 2021January 27, 2021 SANDRP1 Comment

2021 has begun with 45 lives lost in 4 mining accidents in just a week. We highlight the tragic incidents here as they raise some critical questions about governance and to prevent the avoidable accidents from becoming a new normal.

Karnataka, January 21, 2021

The latest accident occurred in Hunasodu village in Abbalagere taluk of Shivamogga district where a strong blast in a lorry carrying explosive gelatine sticks has killed six people. There is still no exact figure of death toll and cause of explosion is yet unknown. While various media reports have been mentioning death toll varying from 5 to 15, denying these figures [i] six bodies have been recovered so far.

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Dams

PM Inaugurates 3 HEPs, Amid Ongoing Environmental & Social Repercussions

October 18, 2016October 19, 2016 SANDRP1 Comment

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today (18 October 2016) has dedicated to nation 3 big hydro power projects in Himachal Pradesh. The projects, namely the 800 Mw Kol Dam HEP on Sutlej River, 520 Mw Parbati HEP on Sainj River (Beas basin) and 412 Rampur HEP on Sutlej River have been involved in several controversies right from the day of inception. These projects were given clearances in questionable manner and even have not gone through proper Environmental Impact Assessment (EIAs). The resultant impact on environment, Rivers, and local communities has been catastrophic. The projects have been facing long and unending protests by dependent communities and others and these controversial projects continue to threaten the environment and local people, as can be seen from some details given here.

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