BHOPAL: Experts working in the field of environment claim that rampant illegal mining, which continued for years, is responsible for Gwalior-Chambal region's devastating flood, which claimed several lives and also rendered thousands homeless, reports Mithilesh Pandey.
The flood snapped away lives of 29 people and injured several others. The administration is still facing difficulties in providing basic amenities to the flood-hit. According to experts, sand regulates river's flow, floodplains store water, recharge ground water, filter pollutants, allows aquatic life to thrive. When sand is taken out, water tables sink, rivers dry up, change course, banks collapse, floodplains get pitted with ponds, silt chokes rivers, vegetation and habitats get destroyed and dust pollution kicks in. Experts also said that with skyrocketing demand, thanks to rapid urbanisation, the world is fast running out of sand. That makes its extraction extremely profitable. The real danger, however, is illegal mining, worked through the sand mafia, real estate gangs, fake land registration goons and operators who exploit sand and rock resources. They make a whopping profit of crore of rupees every year and are also hands in gloves with politicians. High Court advocate Ram Pathak said, "Sand regulates water flow in river. Sand mafia mine sand in uncontrolled manner. Ultimately, river loses control on flow of water due to lack of sand. Illegal sand mining has deteriorated the situation more in river beds triggering to devastating flood." Gwalior Divisional commissioner Ashish Saxena said, "It was cloudburst which led devastating flood in Gwalior-Chambal division. It was torrential rain up to 300mm in a day and it continued for two to three days nonstop. It led to overflow rivers and other water bodies in the entire belt."
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