Villagers from Thanjavur and Tiruvarur districts protested against silica sand mining, citing threats to the environment and groundwater. Officials halted the mining temporarily, and a peace meeting with local authorities is scheduled for October 16.
The NGT declared the Lalachera sand mining environmental clearance illegal due to missing district survey reports. SEIAA must submit a new affidavit in four weeks.
The NGT has directed the UPPCB to address complaints regarding illegal sand mining along the Kanhar and Maliya rivers in Sonbhadra. If confirmed, the UPPCB is to assess environmental damage and impose compensation.
Climate change already generates increasingly intense and persistent sand and dust storms. This problem “drastically” increases in some parts of the world, according to a warning from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CLD).