Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has granted environmental clearance for sand mining in the Mandovi and Zuari rivers. SEAC recommended ECs for sand mining in five zones along the Zuari River stretch and seven zones in the Mandovi River during its August meeting.
According to SEAC, permits will be issued by the Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) to people, enabling them to harvest a maximum of 1,000 cubic meters of sand annually.
There are no other options for the extraction of sand except manual techniques. Mining operations are permitted from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., but are completely prohibited during the monsoon season.
In a bid to support local communities, 70% of the permits will be reserved for traditional sand extractors. The state government had informed the NGT that it was recalling all its environment clearances granted by the SEIAA for extraction of sand in Goa’s rivers.
The government informed the NGT that it would undertake the District Survey Report (DSR) as required under the sustainable sand mining guidelines and only thereafter apply for fresh Ecs.
The NGT, after recording the statements of the Advocate General, thereafter disposed of the appeal (No.38/2021) filed by the Goa River Sand Protectors’ Network against the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority’s (SEIAA) ECs for sand mining in various zones of the state.
The appeal filed by the Network challenged the four Environment Clearances, all dated 12-10-2021, issued by the GSEIAA for sand mining to the District Collector (North Goa) for four stretches along the River Chapora. Based on the ECs, the Collector was empowered to sublet leases to individuals for sand mining.
During the pendency of the appeal, the State had given an undertaking to the NGT that no permits for sand extraction would be granted till the matter was disposed of. This position has been maintained for the past three years.
One, that a District Survey Report (DSR) was not prepared by the State Government which is mandatory under the EIA Notification, as the DSR must form the basis for an application for an EC for sand mining. The NGT has unequivocally reinforced this aspect of the law in several judgments and further stated that there can be no exceptions to the rule.
The second ground for challenge was that the estuarine area of the River Chapora is highly sensitive especially as it is one of the prime grounds for breeding of turtles, apart from sand dunes and mangroves in the vicinity.