NGT petitioned against illegal riverbed mining near Kaziranga
Environmentalists fear sand extraction from the Deihori River and stone quarrying in the nearby hills could be ominous for the national park housing the endangered one-horned rhinoceros
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has been petitioned by Mohajon Kro, a resident of Diphu in Karbi Anglong district, against illegal riverbed mining near Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve. Kro alleges that large-scale and mechanised sand mining in the Deihori River is causing ecological damage to the river and affecting the Scheduled Tribe population dependent on it.
The excavation is being carried out using excavators, earthmovers, and dumpers, which destabilise the riverbed, alter the waterway's natural morphology, and damage fish breeding grounds. Kro also raises concerns over the possibility of contamination from diesel, lubricants, grease, and hydraulic fluids associated with heavy machinery.
The Karbi Anglong district authorities are yet to verify the allegations, and a Golaghat district-based conservationist notes that the Deihori riverbed mining, along with illegal stone quarrying and hill-cutting in Karbi Anglong, could have severe consequences.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Hindu - Sci-Tech's own syndicated text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
