4 days ago
Men face serious charges for exploiting natural disaster for profit: 'Criminals took advantage'
Two men have been charged with using industrial machinery to harvest sand from a protected forest, according to MENAFN.
The mining had been reportedly taking place by the Doodh Ganga River, in the Jammu and Kashmir region of northern India. The illegal mining reportedly ramped up when a lethal shooting distracted law enforcement officials.
Sand mining accelerates land erosion, which poses equal threats to both wildlife and humans that use the habitat. Bridges have been known to collapse thanks to nearby sand mining, for example. Illegal mining in Kenya has led to full-blown violent cartels controlling supply.
Mining in India poses threats to wildlife as well. Jammu and Kashmir is home to threatened species like the markhor, musk deer, and snow leopard, all of which stand to suffer from further loss of habitat. Sand mining has been conducted worldwide along beaches, riverbeds, and low-lying coastal communities to their detriment.
The demand for sand has been accelerating to meet the needs of the construction industry, particularly in cement and glass production. Sand aside, concrete production already generates a significant amount of pollution. Concrete recycling is making progress to viability, but it is still not common enough to displace virgin production and all of the environmental costs that come with it.
An environmental activist in India, Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, has been posting online for some time to raise awareness about this critical problem.
"I am thankful to the concerned authorities for taking action. It is shameful that criminals took advantage of the national focus on the Pahalgam tragedy to loot the forest," Bhat said, per MENAFN. "The accused must be held accountable, and their machinery — like the JCB and tipper — should be confiscated. Furthermore, the Geology and Mining Department officials involved should face penalties, and environmental compensation should be sought from them."
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