The ministry of environment’s committee, headed by Dr Saroj, to look into sand mining in Gautam Budh Nagar has confirmed that “rampant, unscientific and illegal mining” is being carried out along the Yamuna river.
While the committee chose to focus on Gautam Budh Nagar, environmental activists and irrigation officials in Noida warn that rampant illegal mining has lowered the Yamuna’s river bed in a 60 sq km stretch from Okhla Barrage right up to Gharbara village in Greater Noida.
Akash Vashishth of the Hindustan Environment Action Group confirms that “Mining has lowered the Yamuna’s bed and if sand mining is not checked, we will see an Uttarakhand-like disaster with the river changing course during heavy rains.”
Water experts believe that sand mining has created deep craters and the river will move to fill these up. This is happening along the entire Noida and Greater Noida stretch and also with the Ganga and Hindon rivers as well.
What is potentially even more dangerous is that these craters will contaminate the flood plain river acquifers which are a source of drinking water. Prof Vikram Soni of Jamia Millia Islamia University rued the fact that the Noida acquifers, which supplied 80 per cent of water needs for Noida and Greater Noida (200 million litres per day) can no longer be used.
Mr Soni said, “The Noida and Greater Noida authorities were already over extracting water from the Yamuna and Hindon rivers. With sand mining taking out 4-5 metres of sand from the banks, this allows the river to spill over and contaminate the water sources.”
Irrigation department officials have also warned district administration against sand mining and had lodged several FIRs against sand miners, but to no avail. It is for this reason that SDM Durga Shakti Nagpal had taken strong steps to end sand mining.
Noida residents living along the affected sectors are worried that flood waters may enter their complexes. The environment ministry has warned that appropriate safety zones need to be worked out.