Greens see red over Keralam govt’s move to permit sand mining in 17 rivers

The Keralam government has reportedly decided to permit sand extraction from 17 rivers across the State from December 2026. The stated purpose is flood mitigation. Environmental activists question whether removing river sand will actually reduce flooding and warn that the policy could become a pretext for widespread extraction.

The Society for the Protection of the Environment, Kerala, says no environmental impact assessment appears to have been conducted. Its representatives also say the claim that dredging silt prevents floods lacks clarity. They stress that rivers contain sand, soil, organic matter, plants, and aquatic life.

The decision matters because sand supports groundwater recharge, paddy fields, wetlands, wells, fisheries, and river ecosystems. Activists say large-scale extraction could lower riverbeds and damage these functions. They support only limited removal based on studies, natural accumulation, fixed locations, timing, methods, and quantities.

The reported proposal involves extracting 1.7 crore tonnes of sand from 17 rivers across Keralam. The activity is expected to begin in December 2026. These figures indicate a large, State-wide intervention rather than a small, localised removal of accumulated material.

The Society for the Protection of the Environment, Kerala, says the proposal is being described as flood mitigation. Its functionaries question whether dredging silt from rivers prevents flooding and say no environmental impact assessment seems to have been carried out. They fear the plan could justify extraction from rivers and streams more broadly.

The scale matters because river sand is part of a wider system. It helps control floods, supports seepage into soil, and sustains aquatic life. Activists say extraction should occur only in limited quantities, based on studies and the amount accumulating in rivers and check dams. They seek rules fixing quantities, locations, timing, and methods.

River-sand mining, also called channel mining, is the removal of sand from a river channel or riverbed. The reported government proposal presents such extraction as a way to mitigate flooding by removing silt or sediment. The activists say the connection between dredging and flood prevention has not been clearly explained.

The key mechanism is physical change to the riverbed. When sand is removed, the bed is lowered. The article says this can stop sunlight from reaching bottom vegetation and plants, preventing photosynthesis. Their loss affects small fish, larger fish, benthic organisms, and riverbank ecosystems. Lowering the bed can also affect seepage and groundwater recharge.

SPEK says flooding is mainly linked to floodplain reclamation, construction, blocked urban drains, wetland loss, intense rainfall, and sudden dam releases. It accepts that limited sand removal may meet construction needs, but only after precise studies and under a monitored legal framework.

Excessive sand removal can damage both water supplies and living systems. The article says sand helps water seep into soil and later remain as groundwater. Rivers also help replenish wells, which are major rural drinking-water sources. Lower riverbeds may therefore weaken groundwater support and affect wells, paddy fields, wetlands, and other waterbodies.

A concrete chain begins when channel mining lowers the riverbed. Sunlight may no longer reach bottom vegetation, so plants cannot photosynthesise and may die. Small fish that depend on those organisms can perish, followed by larger fish that feed on them. Benthic, or bottom-dwelling, organisms are also affected, while riverbank ecosystems are shattered.

These ecological losses can harm fisheries and the livelihoods of fishing communities. SPEK therefore warns that widespread mechanical and manual extraction could devastate Keralam's 44 rivers and their ecosystems. Activists support only limited, studied removal under strict monitoring and precise legal controls.

The activists identify several causes of flooding besides sand accumulation. They say rivers flood when their flood plains are reclaimed or built upon. In urban areas, blocked drains that should carry water into rivers are a major problem. Reclaimed wetlands also remove spaces that hold water.

Weather and dam operations can create sudden surges. The article points to intense, sudden rainfall and massive flows caused by abruptly opening dams. These events can overwhelm rivers and drainage systems quickly. By contrast, the activists say flooding is mainly caused by these changes and events, not by the accumulation of sand in rivers.

This view challenges the proposal to extract 1.7 crore tonnes from 17 rivers as a flood measure. SPEK says the government should first establish what causes flooding at specific locations. Any river intervention, it argues, should follow precise studies, environmental oversight, and a legal framework that limits quantities and methods.

The activists do not reject every use of river sand. They acknowledge that sand is essential for the construction sector and say some removal may be possible. The condition is that extraction must remain limited and be based on precise studies, rather than a broad State-wide operation.

Their proposed approach ties removal to the quantity that accumulates over time in rivers and check dams. A precise legal framework would specify the permissible amount, extraction timing, method, and exact locations. This would connect construction demand to measured deposits instead of allowing indiscriminate mining.

They also call for strict supervision by a monitoring committee. It should include representatives from the Revenue, Environment, and Local Self-Governments departments. Such oversight could help protect groundwater, wells, fisheries, wetlands, and river ecosystems. SPEK warns that large-scale mechanical and manual extraction would devastate Keralam's 44 rivers.

The article describes every river as a complex system stretching from its source to the ocean. Water moves through this system alongside sand, soil, organic matter, aquatic plants, and aquatic life. Sand helps control floods and allows water to seep into soil, where it is preserved as groundwater. Rivers also help retain water in paddy fields, wetlands, wells, and other waterbodies.

For example, river sand supports groundwater replenishment, helping maintain wells that provide rural drinking water. Riverbed plants use sunlight to grow, and small fish depend on those organisms. Larger fish feed on the smaller fish, while benthic organisms live on the river bottom. This creates connected aquatic and riverbank ecosystems.

These linked functions support agriculture, irrigation, fisheries, and development work. Removing sand can lower the bed and disrupt sunlight, seepage, plants, fish, and groundwater. The activists therefore say river management must protect the whole ecosystem, not treat sediment as waste to be removed.