Mining ban: Slipping like sand
No river in Kerala is safe from mining. Bharathapuzha, Pampa, Periyar, Achan Kovil, Manimala, Muvattupuzha and Chalakkudi are important rivers that face the greatest threat. Sand mining became a lucrative business during the construction boom in Kerala in the last decade. Mining fetches good revenue for villages panchayats, who grant daily permits to contractors. It's these contractors who are over-extracting sand, causing riverbank cave-ins and destruction of riverine ecosystems.
The Kerala government has banned mining at Bharathapuzha and its six tributaries for three months. However, the contractor-politician- and panchayat official lobby keeps the mining going. The Karunakaran government in 1993 took away the right of granting permits from panchayats, but this did not stop mining. Reprimanding the government, the Kerala High Court on 11 October 2001 said: It is unfortunate that despite passing such an order in 1993 no further steps were promptly taken. It is only on 5 January 1998 that the government gave directions