The Government must ensure that construction completed with options to sand can stand the test of time and inspire confidence among people. That can, along with the implementation of laws, check illegal sand mining
The recent fracas over the suspension of an IAS officer in Uttar Pradesh in the backdrop of her crackdown on the sand mining mafia has put the spotlight on the environment that is caught between political manipulation and the ever-powerful mining lobby. While various stakeholders are engaged in a war of words and threats, a genuine concern for the ecology and delicate environment is conspicuous by its absence.
This is the state of affairs in spite of Supreme Court orders. In 2012, the court observed the damage incurred on several lakes and riverbeds across the country, leading to groundwater drying up on account of quarry and mining leases and mineral concessions granted under the Mineral Concession Rules, 1960, framed by the State Governments. Consequently, the apex court passed a judgement bringing all mining activities of minor minerals such as sand, gravel, clay, marble and other stones under the ambit of approval of the Union Government.
As per the judgement of the Supreme Court, all the mining leases by the State Governments and Union Territories now need environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.
However, the ground situation in various States is in stark contrast to the existent laws. Take, for instance, the State of Andhra Pradesh, where large-scale illegal sand mining is rampant in at least seven districts of Guntur, Krishna, Khammam, Warangal, Srikakulam and East and West Godavari districts. It’s there in all the major rivers such as the Krishna, the Godavari, the Vamsadhara, the Penna and the Pranahita. The sand mined here is ferried to Hyderabad and fed to the burgeoning construction sector. This rampant mining has led to acute groundwater crisis in the villages along these rivers.
Similarly, in Bihar, a public-interest litigation filed in the Patna High Court on indiscriminate sand mining in Banka and Jagdishpur areas of Bhagalpur district show the drying up of 40 to 50 natural water channels — the backbone of rice cultivation in the area — due to unchecked sand mining. Consequently, rice cultivation had to be stopped in a total area of more than 1,500 hectares because the canals dried up.
Owing to the recent controversy in Uttar Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal has with immediate effect issued a restraint order against all sand mining activities across the country without environmental clearance. But as long as the demand for sand continues, so would indiscriminate mining. Given this, even the best-conceived laws would fall short of curbing the menace, unless cost effective options are made available.
The Government can discourage sand mining by levying additional taxes on its extraction, transportation and subsequent sale. Since the construction sector consumes the maximum amount of concrete, and hence, sand, the Government can encourage construction which uses sand substitutes by providing incentives such as rebates on property tax, water and electricity.
Needless to say, for the Government the effort needs to begin at home. Under the 12th Five Year Plan, road infrastructure projects would require 75 million tonnes of cement, and the power infrastructure about 45 million tonnes. Considering the formula of mixing two parts sand into cement, road infrastructure needs about 150 million tonnes of sand, while the power infrastructure requires 90 million tonnes of sand.
Given this scenario, it is imperative for the Government to seriously explore substitutes such as fly ash and copper slags, among others. The Central Road Research Institute has in a study established that copper slag can be used as a partial replacement for sand, as fine aggregate in concrete up to 40 per cent in pavement grade concrete without any loss of cohesiveness.
Further, the compressive and flexural strength of such concretes is about 20 per cent higher than that of conventional cement concrete of the same grade. In fact, ferrous slag can be combined with copper slag as well to achieve a greater compressive strength.
With many more options available for sand such as blast furnace slag, quarry dust and foundry sand besides demolition waste, that can be gainfully employed as substitute for sand, the possibilities, are indeed endless.
However, introducing change is neither easy nor simple. The Government must embark on a high degree of research and development to establish the standards and quality for the substitutes to ensure that the construction completed with the same can stand the test of time and inspire confidence among people, thereby bringing down the insatiable demand for sand.