0

QUARRYING PLAN AND

PROGRESSIVE CLOSURE PLAN FOR

ORDINARY RIVER SAND

AT B MUDA BLOCK - 5

Granted to M/s. LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED

Over an area of 5.00 Ha. in Sy. No.207/2A1 of B Muda & Sy. No. 1 of Narikombu Villages

Bantwal Taluk , Dakshina Kannada District

(Government Land)

Prepared by:

DR. P. VIRUPAKSHI and SRI. SUBBAN H.V., M.Sc., M. Phil., Ph.D., RQP/BNG/284/2011/ A Valid up to 04.12.2021

1

2

3

4

5

Contents

Sl. No. Particulars Page No.

Introduction 1

1.0 General 3

2.0 Location and Accessibility 4

PART-A

3.0 Geology and Exploration 7

4.0 Quarrying 10

5.0 Blasting 15

6.0 Mine Drainage 16

7.0 Stoking of Mineral rejects and Disposal of Waste 17

8.0 Use of Mineral 18

9.0 Others 18

10.0 Mineral Processing 19

Part –B

11.0 Environment Management Plan 20

6

LIST OF PLATES

Plate No. Details Scale 1 KEY PLAN & LOCATION IN DISTRICT 1: 50,000

2 CADASTRAL PLAN 1” : 330

3 SAND BAR LCATION & RIVERS IN D.K. DISTRICT 1:150,000

4 GEOLOGICAL CROSS SECTIONS & CONCEPTUAL PLAN

1Cm : 10

5 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN 1:50,000

LIST OF ANNEXURES

Sl.

No.

Particulars Annexure

No.

1 Notification of Department of Mines & Geology, Dakshina Kannada District vide No. District Sand Committee/ DKD/ S. Sand/ Works/01/2017-18 dated 23-09-2017.

1

2 Memorandum of Association & Articles of Association of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. And Power of Attorney, VAT registration Certificate

2

3 Authorization from the Company 3

4 Address Proof ID of L & T Ltd. representative 4

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE LEASE AREA

7

PART– I QUARRYING PLAN FOR RIVER SAND BLOCK

GRANTED TO

M/s. LARSEN & TOURBO LIMITED

OVER AN EXTENT OF 5.00 Ha. In BLOCK -5 OF SURVEY NO. 207/2A1 OF B MUDA & SY.NO. 1 OF NARIKOMBU VILLAGES , BANTWAL

TALUK DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT

(Government Land)

1. INTRODUCTION :

M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Dakshina Kannada District represented by Sri.

Vadiraj B. Katti S/o. Balacharya A. Katti, Chief General Manager, having Office

at Govinda Residency, 6-81-1-2, Jacribettu, Bantwal Kasaba, Bantwal Taluk,

Dakshina Kannada District-574211 has allotted construction of 63 kilometers

Four Lane Cement Concrete Road from Gundya to BC Road by National

Highway Authority of India Limited. The M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. approached

The District Administration & Deputy Director of Mines and Geology, Dakshina

Kannada and District Sand Monitoring Committee for allotment of River sand

blocks to extract the sand for construction of Cement Concrete Road. The Deputy

Director, Dept. of Mines & Geology has allocated additional two River Sand

Blocks to M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. vide Notification No. District Sand

Committee/ DKD/ S. Sand/ Works/01/2017-18 dated 23-09-2017 in Dakshina

Kannada District for a period of 3 years.

The Department of Mines & Geology along with Revenue Department has

identified the blocks in non CRZ Zone along Netravathi River bed and allotted to

M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. for the extraction of sand to proceed with road

construction. All the blocks are located at different location along Netravathi river

8

bed in Puttur, Belthangadi and Bantwal taluks of Dakshina Kannada District are

as follows.

Sl. No.

Name of the Sand Block

Location of Block Sy. No.

Extent in Ha.

Sand Availiable in MT

Tenure of the Lease

1 B Muda Block-3

B Mooda village Bantwal Tq. Netravathi River

207/2/A1

5.00 68000 3 Years

2 B Muda Block-5

B Mooda village Bantwal Tq. Netravathi River

207/2/A1 & 1

5.00 68000 3 Years

Since the river sand s annually replenishable resource in coastal district of

Karnataka, the above two blocks were allocated for extraction of sand to M/s.

Larsen & Toubro Limited for a period of 3 years.

The applicant is submitting quarrying plan for B Muda Block-5 seeking approval

of quarrying plan and Environmental clearance to start the quarrying activity for

road construction for a period of 3 years. The Gazette Notification from Deputy

Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Dakshina Kannada District,

memorandum of Association & Article of Association of Larsen & Toubro Ltd.,

authorization from the company, address proof and ID is enclosed in Annexure 1-

4.

The applicant has approached the RQP for preparation of quarrying Plan for first

three years; The applicant is intended to extract river sand for construction of

cement concrete National Highway Road from Gundya to B.C. Road. The area is

found to have deposit of river sand covering the lease area. Detailed study of the

area has been done by the RQP along with applicant to assess the quality and

quantity of the river sand available in the area. The deposits of river sand material

perish shallow depth. In view of the proposed development, the applicant intends

to go for production of 68000 Tons for 3 years by manual extraction of river sand.

9

The applicant is submitting quarrying plan for a period of first three years to

extract the river sand as pre-requisite to getting approval from the Department of

Mines & Geology and Environmental Clearance from DEIAA as per the

provisions Rule 8(1A), 8C,D,F and 8H and Karnataka Minor Concession

(Amendment) Rules 2013 In line with the Gazette of India S.O. No. 141 (E) dated

15th January, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate

Change, Government of India to proceed with Sand extraction.

The Netravathi River is flowing at B-Muda – Narikombu Villages east to west

with shallow sand bars/ deposits all along the river course. The quarry plan is

prepared with specific aims as given below:

1. Systematic, scientific and safe sand quarrying with a view to protect

environment and minimize environmental degradation to ensure security of

the people living around.

2. Conserve and maximum utilization of reserves by minimizing the wastage.

3. Planned dumping and storage of waste thereby protecting soil cover and

maintenance of clean and hygienic environment.

4. The quarrying operations will be conducted by manual method.

10

1. GENERAL:

The applicant intends to extract river sand for construction of National

Highway from Gundya to B.C. road and having good business experience.

a. Name and address of the applicant

: M/s. LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED. Represented by SRI. VADIRAJ B. KATTI Chief General Manager M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Govinda Residency, 6-81-1-2 Jacribettu, Bantwal Kasaba Bantwal Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District-574211 Ph: 91 9480690200

b. Status of the applicant : Company

c. Minerals/ Which are occurring in the area and which intends to mine:

: River Sand

d. Period for which the quarry lease is proposed to be applied: 3 Years.

e. Name and address of RQP

DR. P. VIRUPAKSHI , M.Sc. M.Phil., Ph.D. No. 273, 8th Main, BCC Layout Chandra Layout, Vijaya Nagara Bengaluru-560 040 Ph: 9986749095 and Sri. Subban H.V. RQP/BNG/284/2011/A # 58, 26th Main, Behind BHEL Colony Nandini Layout Bengaluru- 560 096 Phone: +91 916137429

f. Reference No. and Date of consent letter from the State Govt. :

The Deputy Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Dakshina Kannada

notified the area over an extent of 5.00 Ha. vide Notification No. No.

District Sand Committee/ DKD/ S. Sand/ Works/01/2017-18 dated 23-09-

2017. (Annexure-1)

11

2.0 LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY:

Details of the Area (with Location Map)

Details of the Area (with location map)

a. District and State

: Dakshina Kannada District Karnataka State

Taluk : Bantwal

Villages : B Muda & Narikombu

Survey. No : 207/2A1 & 1

Lease Area (Acres) : 5.00 Ha. (12.35 Acres)

b. Whether the area is recorded to be in the forest (Please specify whether protected, reserved etc.) : No

c. Ownership occupancy : Government Land

d. Existence of public road/ railway line, if any nearby & approximate distance:

The lease area is located at Sy. No. 207/2A1& 1 in B Muda and

Narikombu village limits about 1.62 Km. east of B.C Road Town, about

1.40 Km. South East of Panemangalur village, about 1.70 Km. south

westeast of Narikombu Village, about 1.8 Km. north of Nandavar

village, about 2.6 Km. North of Dasaragudde village, about 3.50 Km.

north of Karaje village and 1.5 Km. south of Bantwal Town which is taluk

headquarter and about 24.00 Km. east of Mangalore Town where all the

welfare amenities are available. The proposed sand block is connected by

village road to Panemangaluru which is on National Highway 75.

The nearest railway station is Bantwal at a distance of 1.10 Km wast of

the lease area. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport

which is 46.00 Kms. The sand blocks/ lease area can be reached through

private road to Panemangalur village Road. The lease area is surrounded

by moderate to dense vegetation along the river banks and sand deposits

12

along the river bed. Power connections are available at Panemangaluru

village, Telecommunication facility is available at above habitations,

Dispensary is located at Panemangaluru, BC Road and Bantwal to the

lease area.

e. Toposheet No. with Latitude and Longitude: The quarry area falls part of

Survey of India Toposheet No. 48 P / 1 of 1:50, 000 Scale (Plate No.1)

GPS Readings (Datum: WGS 84)

Point No. Latitude Longitude B Muda Block-5

A N 120 53’ 04.81” E 750 02’ 27.04” B N 120 53’ 17.86” E 750 02’ 30.50” C N 120 53’ 17.92” E 750 02’ 37.09” D N 120 53’ 04.90” E 750 02’ 37.08”

13

f. Land use Pattern (Forest, Agricultural, and Grazing and Barren etc.):

The sand blocks demarcated along the river bed for sand mining is Government

land. It is sand bed and underlined by Granitic Gneiss sheet rock as visible in low

lying and river meanderings.

The present Land Use pattern of the quarry Area is as follows

Sl. No.

Land use Category Present Land Use

(Ha.)

1 Quarry workings - 2 Waste dumps - 3 Roads -

14

4 Rock boulder storage - 5 Buffer zone/Green belt - 6 Infrastructure - 7 Untouched Area/ Reserved for

future activity 5.00

Total 5.00

g. Attach a general location and vicinity map showing area boundaries and

existing and proposed access routes. It is preferred that the area to be marked

on a Survey of India Topographical map or a cadastral map or forest map as

the case may be. However if none of the these area available, the area should

be shown on an accurate map of 1:5000 Scale

Location of Quarry Lease area is marked on 1:50,000 scale Survey India

Toposheet 48 P / 1 (Plate-1) and 1” : 330’ Cadastral map (Plate No. 2)

15

PART-A

3.0 GEOLOGY AND EXPLORATION:

a. Briefly describe the topography and general geology and local / mine

geology of the mineral deposit including drainage pattern:

Topography: Bantwal Taluk of Dakshnina Kananda District coming under

western slopes, highly undulating topography covered by hillocks and

mounds overlaid by lateritic soil followed by Peninsular Gneiss. The area is

underlined by peninsular gneiss and the ground sloping towards west. The

River Netravathi is flowing across the taluk with a gentle slope with sand

deposits along the river bed. The altitude of the area is 14 to 15 Meters

above mean sea level. The general slope of the area is towards North West.

Topography is both structurally and lithologically controlled. The sand

block area is very gently sloping terrain towards west with gneissic rock

exposures trending North- South direction exposed below the sand. The

sand block area is part of middle part of Netravathi river bed and flows

towards west and joins in to Arabian Sea.

General Geology: Dakshina Kannada District consists of early Precambrian

Gneiss, Granulites and Granites overlaid by tertiary Literates and bentonitic

clays followed by younger quaternary alluvium. The eastern part of the

district is bordered by Sahyadri ranges of Westren Ghats, especially in

Malavantige and Dharmastala part of Belthangadi Taluk consists of slivers

of low grade schist of Bababudan group such as meta-volcanic Banded Iron

Formations. The eastern part of Suliya Taluk consists of high grade

schistose metamorphic formations especially with high alumina meta-

sediments which have been intruded by Agerine Syenites and Pegmatites.

The Pegmatite’s are pinkish brown and whitish mineral veins consist of

16

large grains of soda-potash feldspars and quartz veins from integral part of

the Granitic Gneisses.

Recent Soil tertiary Laterites Late Precambrian

Pegmatites Dolerites

Achaean Peninsular Gneissic complex

Charnockites / Granites and Gniesses

Dharwar super Group Amphibolite and Hornblende Schist

Dolerites: The Precambrian Gneisses and Schists cross cut by dolerite

dykes varying thickness ranging from few centimeters to kilometers

traversing gneisses.

Laterites: Laterite which forms ubiquitous formations in the coastal region

consists of supergene weathering products made-up of mainly Iron and

aluminous hydroxides.

Soils: The Granitic Gneiss outcrops, schist’s, dolerites are covered by thin

cap of loamy soil formed by weathering of Gneisses.

4. Fluvial Geomorphology (Origin of Sand):

The west coast rivers of Karnataka originate all along Sahyadries (Westren

Ghats) at higher elevations i.e. more than one thousand meters above mean

sea level and flow westerly along down the gradient courses in undulatin

fluvial channels and ultimately join the Arabian Sea at Zero Mean Sea level.

The Major rivers of Dakshina Kannada are Natravathi, Gurpur (Phalguni)

rivers. The Gundiya Hole joins near Balya with Kumaradhara and joins with

Netravathi at Uppinangadi. River Gurpur joins Netravathi at the estury of

later near te coast of Mangalore city. The other rivers in the district are

Mulki (Shambavi), Pavanje (Nandini) and Payaswini. The origins of West

Coast Rivers is post Sahyadri Upliftment event and have been affected by

17

recent neo-tectonic movements as evidenced by significant tectonic warp

patterns in the fluvial geomorphology.

Natravathi River: Netravathi River originates near Arasinamakki Gudda

(1177 M) on Sahyadri ranges of Western Ghats flows down the gradient of

Sahyadris towards west, several streams join together to form River

Netravathi. Another sub river Kumaradhara joins with Netravathy at

Uppinangadi in Puttur Taluk. The pH of Netravathi river water ranges from

6.7 to 7.3 and the TDS ranges from 61 to 145. Out of cumulative discharge

in Netravathi about 93% of annual discharge flows during the monsoon

season spanning from June to October in an year.

SEDIMENTATION: Due to Natural gradient the west flowing coastal rivers

carry substantial quantities of sedimentation derived from the weathering and

erosion of different rock formations in the drainage catchment area. The Western

Ghats and the catchments are blessed with copious rainfall normally between the

months of June to October every year. The runoff derived from the luxuriant

rainfall carry lot of weathered and eroded particles from the catchment area which

eventually find their way into down the gradient following the streams and rivers.

RATE OF SEDIMANTATION: The rate of sedimentation in the west flowing

rivers assessed by field research studies during past five years in the field ranges

from 0.5 to 3 meters per year. In the initial and upper reaches of the river course

of Netravathi River the rate of sedimentation is about 0.5 meters per year. In the

middle reaches the sedimentation deposition ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters and along

the lower reaches towards coastal estuaries it ranges’ fro, 2.00 to 3.00 Meters per

annum.

MINEROLOGY & GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTION: The sandy sediments

consist of quartz, feldspar, laterite particles, fine sized rock fragments, clay

fractions and organic remains. The upstream reaches contain largely of coarse sand

admixed with different sizes of pebbles, whereas the grain size decreases as we go

18

downstream towards estuaries. Thick sedimentation of fine sand can be found in

estuary beds and proximal tidal reaches. Results of the representative grain size

analysis of the 13 river samples collected from Netravathi river of Dakshina

Kannada district is presented in the below table. In the middle and upper stretches

of the coastal rivers the coarse fraction (20 size mesh ASTM) ranges from 38 to 63

from the sieve analysis.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: Previous studies conducted for analysis of sands

samples collected from major rivers of Dakshina Kannada District revealed that

the SiO2 content ranges from 78 to 86% reflects the presence of Quartz grains

derived from silica rich acidic granitic rocks, the Al2O3 content ranges from 2.6 to

8.5%, FeO ranges from 0.4 to 0.7% suggesting minor contribution from laterite.

The CaO and MgO Content ranges from 1.9 to 4.1% and 0.1 to 1.7% respectively

and alkalies (Na2O) from 0.5 to 1.1 and K2O from 0.7 to 1.1 suggesting

contribution from the gneissic and granitic provenance rock.

RIVER SAND BLOCK BOUNDARIES:

Sl. No.

Name of the Sand Block

Location of Block

Sy. No. Longitude Latitude Extent in Ha.

1 B Muda Block-5

Karnataka Dakshina Kannada Bantwal Tq. Between B Muda-Narikombu Villages Netravathi River

207/2/A1 & 1

A-N 120 53’ 04.81” B-N 120 53’ 17.86” C-N 120 53’ 17.92” D-N 120 53’ 04.90”

E 750 02’ 27.04” E 750 02’ 30.50” E 750 02’ 37.09” E 750 02’ 37.08”

5.00

The river Sand Block at B Muda fall in B Muda, Narikombu villages, Bantwal

Taluk in Survey of India Toposheet 48 P/1. The delineation of sand block and the

19

sketch was done by Department of Mines and Geology and verified by the

qualified person during the field visit during last week of March 2017.

Geographic Coordinates of the boundaries of the river Sand blocks:

Block No. Village Corner Point

Direction Longitude Latitude

B Muda Block-4 A North East A-N 120 53’ 04.81” E 750 02’ 27.04”

B South East B-N 120 53’ 17.86” E 750 02’ 30.50”

C South West C-N 120 53’ 17.92” E 750 02’ 37.09”

D North West D-N 120 53’ 04.90” E 750 02’ 37.08”

EXPLORATION OF SAND: The river sand is being extracted traditionally since

several decades. The River Sand blocks are accessible by connecting roads and

consist of annually replenishing mineable reserves of ordinary river sand suitable

for construction purposes. The river sand is replenish able minor mineral resource

that are being recharges annually in the river bed along with inflow of surface

water as a result of natural erosion in the catchment area and transportation along

the river channel in the downstream direction.

DEMARCATION OF RIVER SAND BLOCK : The River sand blocks have

been demarcated by Department of Mines and Geology after observing guidelines

by the Karnataka State Government in Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession

(Amendment) Rules 2013 an 2016.

As per KMMC Rule (8 V (d) defines environmental buffer to be left unharmed

during sand extraction along the river bed margins. Only the central ¾ portion of

the width of the river bed may be mined for river sand leaving out 1/8 of the river

bed margins on either bank is banned extraction of sand. Further after every 1000

meters of sand extraction zones along the river bed a gap of 50m should be left as

un-minable buffer as per the KMMC rule 2013 & 2016 Rule 8 V (a).

20

Further, the buffer Zone on either side of the Bridge is specified as 5 times the

bridge span (which should be less than 250M) on upstream direction and 10 times

the bridge span (not less than 500 M) on the downstream direction.

Rule 8V (e) of KMMC (Amendment) Rules, 2013 and 2016 states that no vehicle

for loading of sand , machineries other than used for loading shall be allowed

within Ten Meters from the border of the river bank to ensure the river bank

protection.

ESTIMATION OF MINABLE RESERVES: Reserves of river sand are

estimated by volumetric method based on the cross sectional area of influence

taken as thickness of the estimating block and the specific gravity of the sand. The

river sediments contain about 20% of very coarse sand. Hence the recovery can be

taken conservatively as 80% even though coarser sand can also used especially as

filler base for road works.

The estimation of reserves has been categorized in to proved, probable and

possible reserves. The data on average thickness of annually recharging layer of

river sand based on realistic observations during the past five years is utilized for

estimation of proved category of river sand river sand reserves.

Since the river sand is used for cement concrete Road construction purpose mixed

with gravel, the coarse and small pebbles can also be used for the construction,

hence the recovery percentage will be taken as 80% of volume.

Estimation of Proved and Probable reserves in the River Sand Blocks.

Level & Category

Block Area M2

Avg. Thickness In M

Volume in M 3

Volume after Recovery of 80% in M3

Specific Gravity

Saleable Quantity in MT

Wastage 20% in MT

B Muda Block-5 Annual replenishing

50000 1.00 50000 40000 1.7 68000 17000

21

Older Sediments*

50000 1.00 50000 40000 1.7 68000 17000

Total 100000 80000 136000 34000 * Coarse grained and pebbly grained sand portions

Below the layer of annually replenishing layer of sands, there are underlying layers

of sandy sediments in the river bed ranging in thickness from 2 to 3 meters. These

underlying layers have been classified as probable rivers of river sands.

Further deeper sandy sediments layers are not allowed to be mined from the river

bed for the sake of environmental safeguards, hence such possible reserves have

not been estimated. Various categories of reserves estimated for the river sand

block under study have been tabulated.

Mineable Reserves of ordinary River Sand available in river sand block.

Level & Category Block Area M2

Avg. Thickness In M

Volume in M 3

Volume after Recovery of 80% in M3

Specific Gravity

Saleable Quantity in MT

Wastage 20% in MT

B Muda Block-5 Annual replenishing

50000 1.00 50000 40000 1.7 68000 17000

Total 50000 40000 68000 17000

5. MINING / EXTRACTION OF SAND :

a. Briefly describe the existing / proposed method for developing / working

the deposit with all design parameters:

The river sand resources deemed for utilization in the construction industry is

being extracted from the coastal rivers since ages employing simpler

extraction methods based on divers assisted by country boats or rafts for

manual sand collection. The traditional methods involve simplistic physical

and manual labor that does not harm the natural environment.

The salient features of method of river sand extraction are:

22

1. The extraction and collection of sand from the river channel shall be

carried out manually.

2. There is no layer of top soil in the case of river sand deposits.

3. No kind of drilling and blasting are required for the extraction and

collection of sand from the river channel.

EXTRACTION OF ORDINARY SAND: The delineated river sand blocks are

good deposits of ordinary sand. The sand deposition occurs every year due to

erosion in the upper reaches and deposition of sediments in the middle and

lower reaches. Thickness of the river sand deposition ranges from 1.00 to

1.50 meters in the coastal river channels. The earlier studies, the grain size

distribution of sand in ASTM sieve sizes generally from coarse to medium

with fine sand occurring in areas proximal to the estuaries. The representative

chemical analysis of Dakshina Kannada river sands has been completed

earlier by Dr. B. M. Ravindra, indicates that SiO2 content in these sands

ranges from 78 to 86%. The high silica sands are in great demand in quality

construction works.

The process of extraction of the ordinary sand is traditionally carried out in

the region by manual methods by scooping and collection of sand. The

continuous process of accumulation of sands on the river bed often leads to

obstruction of free flow of river water. The extraction also helps in

decongesting the sediments and smoother flow of water in the river channels

especially during monsoon season.

Working Depth: The deposition of sandy sediments occur on recurrent basis

in the river channel during inflow of fresh water in the river channel,

depending on the sediment load carried by the flowing water. The deposition

of sand shall be more during monsoon period when the river waters charged

with heavy sediment loads in suspension run in full level or flood conditions.

Non – Blasting: The river sand extraction activity does not involve any kind

of blasting operations.

23

Labours: The average no. of labors working in the sand extraction center

happens to be 5 to 10 skilled men who share the labor activities such as

diving/ removing and collection of sand carrying the collected sand in head

loads onto the sand stocks on the sand ports.

LODING AND TRANSPORTATION: The sand is extracted from the river bed

by traditional method of scooping and gathering in baskets. The collected

sand of the bucket or sand basket are poured on to the board or raft such that

water portion flows back in to the river when the sand is under shallow water.

The boats / rafts or head loads are carried to shore near to sand port. The sand

collected in individual baskets using hand shovels. The sand collected in

individual baskets shall be carried head load and dumped into the trucks for

transportation.

The sand is transported to the destination in trucks of different sizes

depending upon the requirement.

TONNAGE AND GRADE OF PRODUCTION: The average sand production

from the sand ports ranges from 60 to 160 Metric tons per day depending

upon the requirement of road construction industry. Very coarse grained

sands and those containing pebbly fractions more than 25% retention in 20

ASTM mesh size in general require sieving before utilization in the

construction.

YEAR WISE SAND MINING DEVELOPMENT PLAN: The average annual

production anticipated in the river sand blocks are about 26667 MT per year.

Details of anticipated production plan from the next two years of the plan

period in the sand block as shown in the table below.

ANTICIPATED AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION : The average annual

production for next three years in Netravathi River bed in B Muda &

Narikombu Block 5 and is as shown below.

24

Category of

reserves

Area in M2

Depth in M

Volume M3

Recovery %

Volume after

Recovery Specific Gravity

Net Reserve

s in MT

Wastage

10% MT

B Muda Block -5 Year 1 50000 0.5 25000

80%

20000 1.7 34000 8500 Year 2 50000 0.4 20000 16000 27200 6800 Year 3 50000 0.1 5000 4000 6800 1700

Sub Total 50000 40000 68000 17000

WASTAGE: In the river sand deposits, the percentage of wastage is very less

since all the material can be utilized for different sorts of construction

purpose. However in case of coarse sand deposits and in present case most of

the sand deposits are extracted, the wastage can be placed at 20% loss or

(1:02) of produced material.

EXPECTED LIFE OF THE SAND BLOCK: The proved extractable reserves of

river sand in the blocks as estimated up to a depth of 1.00 meter depth in the

river bed is 68000 tons. The amount of sand estimated for extraction during a

year also happens to be the order of sand deposition that occurs annually in

the middle level of west flowing rivers in the district. The range of annual

deposition of sandy sediments in the middle pediment levels of the coastal

rivers happens to be 1 to 1.5 m thick layers every year.

The annual cycle of weathering erosion fluvial transportation and deposition

of sediments in the river channel is a perpetual natural process under the

present environmental and geological conditions.

COST OF PRODUCTION: Based on the present cost of production by taking

men and material, machinery required, power and other facilities to provide

men and material the cost of current extraction is about Rs. 6.00 to 8.00 per

cubic feet at ex-sand port, excluding the cost of royalty and taxes to be paid to

the Government, Transportation and delivery to the destination site.

6. ANNUAL REPLENISHMENT OF SAND:

25

The river sand is probably the only the renewable resource that can be

classified as renewable mineral in the world. The environmental cycle of

weathering, erosion, precipitation, runoff and river flow in the natural being

annual cyclic phenomenon, the deposition of sand in the river bed is a

recurrent feature in all active rivers. The rate of sediment deposition in the

west flowing rivers like Netravathi ranges from 0.5 M in the upper reaches to

3.00 M in the lower reaches towards estuary. In the middle reaches an

average annual deposition of 1.5 M sand rich sediments per can be expected.

Pros and Cons of Sand Extraction: Many people have opined reservations

regarding the process of extraction process of extraction and utilization of

sand resources from the river beds from viewpoint of preserving natural

environment.

However, the geological studies and observations over the year in coastal

river environment reveal that regular extraction of sand from the river beds,

without harming its natural environments would be useful in preserving the

hydrological balance as well as the regional tectonic stability.

In case the sand is not extracted on a regular basis, the repeated hights would

massively increases the sediment load in the river and the accumulation of

sand over the year and clog the river channels choking the natural drainage

course of the rivers towards the sea. Sediment clogged river channels would

increase process towards flood condition as well as erosion of river banks and

river flood plains and severe sea erosion.

Coastal Karnataka is sensitive tectonic zone, where in neo tectonic crustal

plate movements have repeatedly expressed in the form of a sequence of

micro seismic activities. In the back ground of neo tectonic sensitivity it has

been found that manual and orderly extraction of annual accumulated sand

would have beneficial effect on the tectonic stability of the region by

decreasing the burden of sediment load. Similarly manual extraction of sand

26

would be immensely useful in preserving the hydrological balance by

allowing free flow of fluvial discharge.

Silting of Dam basins is major issue to be pondered over from the viewpoint

of environmental hazards. Available data shows that in case the MRPL dam

built across Netravathi near Sirapadi, the accumulation of sand silts on the

river bed upstream side is about 4 to 5 meters for a distance up to 2 Km from

the dam. Government of Karnataka in its KMMC (Amendment) Rules 2103

has stipulated that in the river beds 250 m on upstream and 500 M on the

downstream sand should not be removed. However the massive weight of

accumulation of sand and silt if not removed is going to be exerting

unwarranted load on the structure of the dams that may induce seismic

activities in the long course.

7. MINERAL STACKS AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE :

The stacking of mineral rejects generally does not arise in this case, since

there are is no top soil cover in the river sand and deposits the question of

stacking of the top soil does not arise.

The river sand extracted from the river bed is loaded directly in to the trucks

parked in the sand ports on the river banks. Whenever there is less demand,

surplus extraction would be stored in corner of the sand port for loading in to

the trucks when demand arises.

During monsoon season the process of sand extraction from the river bed is

discontinued due to deep column of standing inflow water or due to the floods

or due to environmental reasons. For such inclement seasons sand is collected

and stored in yards away from the sand ports usually in open areas with easier

access to roads.

8. MINOR MINERAL USE:

27

The river sand is an essential component in construction industry being

indispensable role in the strengthening the gravel-sand-cement concrete

mixtures. In concrete mixtures it provides additional coherence and

consistency for the binding media. Fine sand are in high demand especially

for decorative surface finishing. The quartz rich sand are more durable than

other kinds of sand (basaltic trap, calcareous etc), since SiO2 is a chemically

erosive resistant and durable mineral.

9. AMENITIES AND SERVICES:

The coastal reason is quite developed in terms of socio-economic

infrastructure and is blessed with general amenities required for the

extraction, transportation and delivery of quality grade of quartz rich river

sand products.

10. EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL:

The process of sand extraction, collection being a manually operated venture

the number of labors in the mining site ranges from 3 to 20 during different

seasons depending up on the work load and market demand for the building

material of sand. Usually 2 to 6 sand collection boats teams may be active

within a river sand block. Indirect employment includes 10 to 20 additional

persons including loaders, drivers, cleaners and truck owners who depend on

the sand mining for their livelihood.

Sl. No. Description No. of Posts

1 Supervisor 1

2 Boatmen 2

3 Skilled labors 4

4 Un skilled Labors 6

Total 13

28

11. MINERAL PROCESSING:

The River sand extraction as described in earlier sections is a basic manually

operated venture. The river sand resources of the non-CRZ zone are free from

salinity content. Lack of saline content in the sand increases the life of civil

structure and the quality of construction.

The grain size distribution composition of the river sands is significiant factor

in the construction industry. Coarse grained sands are preferred for mixing

with cement and gravel in the structural concrete, whereas the fine sand is

desired for finishing works like outer surface of the structural walls.

Hence the sample process of sieving the sand using approximate sieve/ screen

sizes would be useful for getting desired sand sizes preferred for demanding

civil works and the quality construction applications.

29

PART-B

11.0 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

a. Base line Information:

i. Existing land use pattern indicating the area already degraded due to

quarrying, pitting/ mining, dumping, road, processing plant, workshops,

township etc,. in tabular form.

The objective of environmental Management Plan is to assess the

environmental conditions prevailing in the river sand extraction site and find

preventive measures to advert any possible adverse impact of the quarrying

operations on the environment. Besides the statutory Environmental clearance

from District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA)

constituted by Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has been

mandatory prerequisite from January 2016 for grant of quarrying permission.

Since a full pledged chapter on Environmental Management Plan has been

provided in detail (Part-1) of this project, only significant aspects have been

summarized here in this chapter.

Table: 2.1 Villages and population existing within 5.00 Km. radius (buffer

Zone) of B Muda Block (As per 2011 Census).

Sl. No.

Village Direction Households Population Male Female

1 Bantwal N 76405 395380 196708 198672 2 Amtadi NW 1277 5574 2679 2895 3 Kallige SW 910 4205 2034 2171 4 Sajapamudanuru SW 1482 7609 3776 3833 5 Panimangaluru E 1509 8864 4454 4410 6 Narikombu E 1493 7800 3864 3936 7 Shamburu E 449 2379 1209 1170 8 Amaturu SE 671 3115 1528 1587 9 Kalladka SE 960 5788 3002 2786 Total 85156 440714 219254 221460

30

ENVIRONMANTAL CONDITIONS OF MINING:

The Karnataka Minor mineral Concession Rules (Amendment) 2013 has

imposed he following environmental safeguard conditions vide. State

Government Notification No. Cl 357 MMN 2012, Bangalore dated 16-12-2013.

“8V. Environmental Protection measures in River Sand quarrying :

1. For ensuring safety of river beds/its structure / adjoining areas during river

sand quarrying the following measures e taken;

(a). Maintain at least an unmanned block of fifty meters after every block of

1000 meters where mining is undertaken or proportionate;

(b). No quarry shall be permitted in a river bed up to a distance of five times

of span of a bridge on up-stream and ten times the span of such bridge on

down-stream of the river, subject to a maximum of 250 meters on the up-

stream side and 500 meters on the downstream side.

(c). The areas which are located adjoining to the village or traditionally used

by the villagers shall be left and declared as no sand mining area by limiting

to 250 meters length or as decided by taluk committee.

(d). Sand quarrying shall be restricted to the central ¾ width of the river at

the center by leaving a 1/8 margin of the river width from the river bank all

along the river length of the block as buffer zone.

(e). No vehicles for loading of sand , machineries other than used for

loading shall be allowed within ten meters from the border of the river bank

to ensure the river bank protection.

(f). Suitable indigenous plant species like bellary jaly or any other variety

shall be planted on specified stretch of the river bank to prevent river

ingression and also to maintain river bank stability.

(g). Along with the royalty, Environment Management fee per cubic meter at

the rate specified by the Government from time to time shall be collected and

the same shall be credited to “Corpus fund” and shall be utilized for

rehabilitation and reclamation activities.

31

(h). The production quality shall be based on the approved quarry plan.

ensure river approach channel is not obstructed and that repaired bank

(i). Access routes, if they are not beneficial to the local community would

need to be ploughed and re-planted with native species;

(j). Close and restore river bank where access ramps have been restored,

ensure river approach channel is not obstructed and that repair bank is

restored to normalcy.

(k). any violations observed shall be brought to the notice of District

Monitoring committee along with a mahajar/ joint inspection report by the

member of district monitoring committee by temporarily suspending the

work by an order and be placed to further decision by the district Monitoring

Committee in the matter.

(l). Further the District Monitoring Committee shall review by giving an

opportunity to the successful bidder and pass an order to resume the sand

quarrying by allowing him to enter to rectify the mistakes or by

compensating the damages.

(m). The District Monitoring Committee upon hearing and based on reports

may direct the concerned to restore or cancel or direct initiation of legal

proceedings if any.”

ENVIRONMANTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RIVER SAND

EXTRACTION

In case the present sand Block B Muda Block 5 are no bridges involved in the

250 M proximity of the blocks. The natural flowing courses of the river are not

to be blocked or diverted in any manner during the course of extraction of sand.

The following sets of pro-environmental guidelines are to be followed in order

to prevent or at least to mitigate any possible environmental adverse effects that

may crop up.

32

Environmental Safeguards:

Harvesting of river bed minerals and other associated activities have been

considered to be the main sources of environmental degradations. Care should

be taken to prevent damage of river bank due to construction of access ramps in

to the river bed. Similarly care should be taken to prevent causing any kind of

damage to vegetation and disturbance to ground water resources. Any act that

may lead to soil erosion is to be avoided so also any possible inducement for

changes in the river course to be prevented.

Buffer Zone along the river banks:

In order to prevent damage to the river banks in the process of sand extraction

KMMC (Amendments) Rules, 2013 have been recommended that 1/8 (or

12.5%) of the river width on either river bank margin has to be left out as area

of no mining.

The average width of the river Netravathi is about 420 M near Bantwal, width

measured in toposheet from 360 to 472 m in straight course. Therefore , in

accordance with the recent KMMR (Amendments) 2013, the sand can be

extracted only in the central 300 m wide zone, falling within the approved

block, leaving out 50meters of buffer towards periphery of either river banks.

Public Structure:

The presents block is located about 250 Meters from the nearest national

Highway connecting Mangalore city with Hassan. The river sand blocks are

located more than 1.10 Km. away from the nearest Railway line connecting

Mangaluru and Hassan Railway stations. There are no irrigation canals or public

structures or monuments in the said block/ cluster area. The open area and fields

near the river bank of the river sand blocks have remained mostly as fallow

lands on the way to urbanization.

Sand Replenishment:

33

The river bed areas involved in the sand extraction during the one post monsoon

season will get refilled with fresh layer of sand deposit in the following rainy

season along with inflow of seasonal fluvial discharge derived from the rains

and resultant of runoff along with weathered and eroded material from the

catchment area.

Sand Distribution:

One of the positive advantages of manual sand extraction in the river beds is

that with constant movement of the flow currents within the rivers and the sand

extracted areas gets filled with sediments from the adjoining areas preventing

formation of depressions under water in the river bed.

Depth of Sand Extraction:

The depth and quantity of sand extraction of sand deposits in the river beds, in

the case of manual extraction by divers using buckets or porous baskets nets is

naturally restricted since they can fetch only the upper most (replenishing) layer

of sand deposited in the river bed.

Transportation of Sand:

The sand extracted from the river is usually wet for some time. After passage of

couple of days the sands heaped as stocks gets dry. While transporting dry

sands, care should be taken to cover the trucks with tarpaulin or equivalent

covers such that lose dust particles emanating from the dry sands in the vehicles

do not pollute the air environment along the course of its journey to the desired

destinations.

Existing Approach roads:

Existing approach roads may be effectively made use since, most of the river

sand blocks being in use since many years, have already been provided with

adequate existing approach roads. Construction of new approach roads in

34

agricultural lands may be controlled to bare minimum in order to prevent

degradation of fertile lands suitable for agriculture purposes.

Existing sand ports and stock yards:

The existing sand ports on the river banks for unloading sand from the boats

should be effectively used on sharing basis, where a number of extractors work

together. Construction of new sand ports should be avoided so as to prevent

unwarranted environmental degradation of land on the river banks and access

routes.

MITIGATION MEASURES:

The mitigation measures proposed for decreasing possible land, air and water

environmental degradation effects in and around the sand extraction sites are

outlined here below:

· There shall be no changes or alteration or blocking of flow paths in the

river flow course during the extraction of sand from the river bed.

· The extraction sand shall be exclusively manual in small quantities at a

time such that the process would not hamper natural movement of

organisms and biota within the fluvial environment.

· Existing approach /accesses roads shall be utilized as for as to avoid

possible damages to land environment during construction of new

approaches.

· New access points to the river bed if necessary shall be decided basig on at

least steepness of river bank and least human activity.

· New accesses roads from public roads and up to river bank if necessary

shall be aligned in such a way that it would cause least environmental

damage.

· Haulage roads parallel to river bank and the roads connecting accesses to

river bed will be made away from the bank.

35

· Maximum number of accesses roads to river bed shall be provided for

which cutting of river banks will be avoided and ramps are to be

maintained.

· Sand extraction pattern and schedule shall be coeval with (or Synchronized

with) the river flow direction and the general gradient of the land.

· Sand extraction activity shall be terminated in monsoon season and at the

time of floods.

· Care will be taken to ensure that ponds are not formed in the dry river bed.

· Planting of saplings species adaptable to the native environs as part of

vegetarian development is proposed along the banks of the river and along

the sides of the approach roads to arrest soil erosion and strengthening of

banks as well for arresting possible emanation of air pollution in the dry

season.

· On unpaved approach roads water sprinkling will be done on the roads

during dry season on regular basis.

· Care shall be taken to prevent spillage while loading and transporting the

river sands and the load carrying vehicles shall be covered with tarpaulin or

other similar appropriate covering material.

· During the dry season, the transporting vehicles especially in the unpaved

access roads shall ply at low speeds not exceeding 25 Km. per hour so that

dust from the roads fly and pollute the surrounding environment.

· The lower speeds recommended for the transporting vehicles shall reduce

the noise pollution from the vehicles that may possibly disturb birds,

animals and people in the surrounding region.

· Fortnightly scraping of the unpaved road shall b made in order to keep the

roads in proper and leveled condition so as to ensure smooth flow of

vehicles as well as to prevent spillage of sand en route.

· Overloading shall be avoided by imparting prior awareness and

admonishment.

36

· Proper tuning of vehicles shall be ensured to keep the harmful gas emission

from the vehicles within the prescribed norms.

37

Part: 2 B

PROGRESSIVE QUARRY CLOSURE PLAN

The objectives of the Progressive Quarry closure plan is to assess the

environmental friendly conditions and precautionary and preparatory measures

prevailing in the river sand block for systematic closure of the site to any

possible adverse impact on the sand extraction on the environment and

employees. The progressive quarry closure plan is statutory requisite for the

Mining Plan and the Environmental Clearance from the State / District

Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA/ DEIAA) of Ministry of

Ecology and Forests (MoEF), for the grant of sand extraction permission by the

District Sand Monitoring Committee.

RIVER SAND BLOCK BOUNDARIES

The B Muda river sand block-5 falls within the Survey India Toposheet No. 48

P/1.

Summarized general information of the river sand project.

Quarry Owner/ Proponent

M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Dakshina Kannada District

Postal Address Represented by Sri. Vadiraj B. Katti S/o. Balacharya A. Katti Chief General Manager. Office at Govinda Residency 6-81-1-2, Jacribettu Bantwal Kasaba Bantwal Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District-574211 Ph:+91 9480690200

Name of Minor Mineral Ordinary river sand

Proceeding date The DD, MGD has allotted additional 2 River Sand Blocks to M/s. L & T Ltd. vide Notification

38

No. District Sand Committee/ DKD/ S. Sand/ Works/01/2017-18 dated 23-09-2017 in Dakshina Kannada District for a period of 3 years.

Aerial extent of sand

block

5.00 Ha.

River and title of land Netravathi River bed, Government revenue land

Type of Land River and river bank surrounded by lush greenery.

Survey no. & Village

block

Sy. No.207/2A1 B Muda Village, Bantwal

Taluk

SOI Top sheet 48 P/1 of 1:50000 scale

District headquarters Mangaluru

Nearest Airport Bajpe, Mangaluru

Nearest Highway NH 75 Mangaluru to Bengaluru via. BC Road

Nearest railway station Bantwal (1.1.00Km); Mangaluru (24.00 Km.)

Category of Quarry B2

Average annual

production of the block/

cluster

22667 MT/ Annum

Geographic Coordinates of River Sand Block

Block No. Corner Point

Corner Direction

Longitude Latitude

B Muda Block- 5

A South West N 120 53’ 04.81” E 750 02’ 27.04”

B North West N 120 53’ 17.86” E 750 02’ 30.50”

C North East N 120 53’ 17.92” E 750 02’ 37.09”

D South East N 120 53’ 04.90” E 750 02’ 37.08”

Topographic Layout plan of the river block area has been provided in Plate -3

Geological map and the sections of the area are shown in Plate-4.

Environmental layout and buffer around River Sand Block and the cluster is

presented in Plate-5. Photographs of the quarry are shown at the end.

39

LAND USE PATTEN:

Present Land use pattern in quarrying block during the plan period.

Sl. No. Particulars of the block Extent of Area Used (in Ha.)

B Muda Block-5 1. Mineable area 5.00 2 Buffer area/ Green belt - On the dock yard 3 Sand Storage - 4 Approach road & Parking River bank to lease area Total Extent 5.00 REASONS FOR CLOSURE: The objective is that the quarry is to be closed systematically after cessation of the

extraction of the minor mineral. However the sandy sediment material is of

recurring nature of deposition, therefore only a progressive closure of the quarry

can be visualized at this juncture of development.

PROGRESSIVE QUARRY CLOSURE PLAN:

It is statutory obligation on the part of the lessee to prepare and implement

progressive quarry closure plan as per the prevailing rules. However, in the case of

river sand deposits are exhausted after considerably long duration of years, the

proponent or the incumbents designated by the proponent has to prepare for

practical or progressive closure plan which include systematic stocking of minor

mineral, maintenance of approach roads and rehabilitation of the workers.

REGIONAL GEOLOGY :

The south Indian cratonic block of Peninsular India consists of early Precambrian

linear schist bets (Dharwar Super Group 2600-3000 Ma. Age) surrounded by

Peninsular Gneiss (3000-3300 Ma. Age) and intruded by younger granites ( 2500-

2600 Ma. Age). In the southern part, exposures of the older group of Supracrustals

of Sargur Type ( > 300 Ma. Age ) are surrounded and bounded by Granulites (

40

2500 –2600 Ma. Age) . The Gneisses, Granites and Granulites have been traversed

by numerous East-West trending set of Dolerite dykes.

The Precambrian geological formations in the Karavali are covered under veneer

of Laterite and alluvium.

TOPOGRAPHY & FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY:

The low lying topography of the coastal terrain (Karavali) terminates in elevated

Sahayadri ranges in the eastern borders of the district. The rives of the west coast

of Karnataka originates in the Sahayadris (Western Ghats) at elevations exceeding

on thousand meters above mean sea level and flow westerly along down the

gradient course in undulating fluvial channels and ultimately join the Arabian sea.

The two major rivers in Dakshina Kannada district are Netravathi and Gurpura

(Phalguni), river Kumaradhara joins Netravathi at Uppinangadi and Gundya Hole

joins Kumaradhara at Balya. River Gurpura joins Netravathi river at the estuary of

the later, near the coast south of Mangalore city. The other rivers in the district

include Mulki (Shambavi), Pavanje (Nandini) and Payaswini.

SEDIMENTATION:

Due to Natural gradient the west flowing coastal rivers carry substantial quantities

of sedimentation derived from the weathering and erosion of different rock

formations in the drainage catchment area. The Western Ghats and the catchments

are blessed with copious rainfall normally between the months of June to October

every year. The runoff derived from the luxuriant rainfall carry lot of weathered

and eroded particles from the catchment area which eventually find their way into

down the gradient following the streams and rivers.

RATE OF SEDIMANTATION:

The rate of sedimentation in the west flowing rivers assessed by field research

studies during past five years in the field ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters per year. In

the initial and upper reaches of the river course of Netravathi river the rate of

sedimentation is about 0.5 meters per year. In the middle reaches the sedimentation

41

deposition ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters and along the lower reaches towards coastal

estuaries it ranges’ from 2.00 to 3.00 Meters per annum.

MINEROLOGY & GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTION:

The sandy sediments consist of quartz, feldspar, laterite particles, fine sized rock

fragments, clay fractions and organic remains. The upstream reaches contain

largely of coarse sand admixed with different sizes of pebbles, whereas the grain

size decreases as we go downstream towards estuaries. Thick sedimentation of fine

sand can be found in estuary beds and proximal tidal reaches. Results of the

representative grain size analysis of the 13 river samples collected from Netravathi

river of Dakshina Kannada district is presented in the below table. In the middle

and upper stretches of the coastal rivers the coarse fraction (20 size mesh ASTM)

ranges from 38 to 63 from the sieve analysis.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:

Previous studies conducted for analysis of sands samples collected from major

rivers of Dakshina Kannada District revealed that the SiO2 content ranges from 78

to 86% reflects the presence of Quartz grains derived from silica rich acidic

granitic roacks, the Al2O3 content ranges from 2.6 to 8.5%, FeO ranges from 0.4

to 0.7% suggesting minor contribution from laterites. The CaO and MgO Content

ranges from 1.9 to 4.1% and 0.1 to 1.7% respectively and alkalies (Na2O) from 0.5

to 1.1 and K2O from 0.7 to 1.1 suggesting contribution from the gneissic and

granitic provenance rock.

RIVER SAND BLOCKS : Details of the River sand blocks in the B Muda Block 5 State & District, River

Taluk Village Limit

Survey No.

Area in Ha.

River Sand Block No.

Karnataka Dakshina Kannada Netravathi

Bantwal B Muda & Narikombu

207/2A1 & 1

5.00 B Muda Block 5

MINEABLE RESERVES:

42

Details of Minable reserves in River sand blocks in the B Muda Block-5

Level & Category Block Area M2

Avg. Thickness In M

Volume in M 3

Volume after Recovery of 80% in M3

Specific Gravity

Saleable Quantity in MT

Wastage 20% in MT

Kadeshvalya Block-5 Annual replenishing

50000 1.00 50000 40000 1.7 68000 17000

Total 50000 40000 68000 17000

EXTRACTION OF ORDINA RY SAND The delineated river sand blocks good deposits of ordinary sand. The sand

deposition occurs every year due to erosion in the upper reaches and deposition of

sediments in the middle and lower reaches. Thickness of the river sand deposition

ranges from 1.00 to 1.50 meters in the coastal river channels. From the earlier

studies the grain size distribution of sand in ASTM sieve, generally from coarse to

medium with fine sand occurring in areas proximal to the estuaries. The

representative chemical analysis of Dakshina Kannada river sands has been taken

from earlier studies by Dr. B. M. Ravindra, indicates that SiO2 content in these

sands ranges from 78 to 86%. The high silica sands are in great demand in quality

construction works.

IMPLEMENTATION OF QUARRY PLA N: The process of extraction of the ordinary sand is traditionally carried out in the

region by manual methods involving labors skilled in collection of sand. The

continuous process of accumulation of sands often leads to obstruction of free flow

of river water. The extraction also helps in decongesting the sediments and

smoother flow of water in the river channels especially during monsoon season.

It is obligatory on the part of river sand extractors permitted by the proponent to

implement th Quarry Plan and progressive closure in totally. For any deviations or

specific changes the proponent has to approach the authorities of Department of

Mines and Geology and District Sand Monitoring Committee.

ENVIRINMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

43

Harvesting of river channel minerals and other associated activities have been

considered to be the main sources of environmental degradation. Care should be

taken to prevent damage of river bank due to construction of access ramps in to the

river channel. Similarly care should taken to prevent causing any kind of damage

to vegetation and disturbance to ground water resources. Any act that may led to

soil erosion is to be avoided so also any possible inducement for changes in the

river course is to be prevented.

The mitigation measures proposed for decreasing possible land, air and water

environmental degradation effects in and around the sand extraction sites are

outlined here below:

· There shall be no changes or alteration or blocking of flow paths in the

river flow course during the extraction of sand from the river bed.

· The extraction sand shall be exclusively manual in small quantities at a

time such that the process would not hamper natural movement of

organisms and biota within the fluvial environment.

· Existing approach /accesses roads shall be utilized as far as to avoid

possible damages to land environment during construction of new

approaches.

· New access points to the river bed if necessary shall be decided based on at

least steepness of river bank and least human activity.

· New accesses roads from public roads and up to river bank if necessary

shall be aligned in such a way that it would cause least environmental

damage.

· Haulage roads parallel to river bank and the roads connecting accesses to

river bed will be made away from the bank.

· Maximum number of accesses roads to river bed shall be provided for

which cutting of river banks will be avoided and ramps are to be

maintained.

44

· Sand extraction pattern and schedule shall be coeval with (or Synchronized

with) the river flow direction and the general gradient of the land.

· Sand extraction activity shall be terminated in monsoon season and at the

time of floods.

· Care will be taken to ensure that ponds are not formed in the dry river bed.

· Planting of saplings species adaptable to the native environs as part of

vegetarian development is proposed along the banks of the river and along

the sides of the approach roads to arrest soil erosion and strengthening of

banks as well for arresting possible emanation of air pollution in the dry

season.

· On unpaved approach roads water sprinkling will be done on the roads

during dry season on regular basis.

· Care shall be taken to prevent spillage while loading and transporting the

river sands and the load carrying vehicles shall be covered with tarpaulin or

other similar appropriate covering material.

· During the dry season, the transporting vehicles especially in the unpaved

access roads shall ply at low speeds not exceeding 25 Km. per hour so that

dust from the roads fly and pollute the surrounding environment.

· The lower speeds recommended for the transporting vehicles shall reduce

the noise pollution from the vehicles that may possibly disturb birds,

animals and people in the surrounding region.

· Fortnightly scraping of the unpaved road shall b made in order to keep the

roads in proper and leveled condition so as to ensure smooth flow of

vehicles as well as to prevent spillage of sand en route.

· Overloading shall be avoided by imparting prior awareness and

admonishment.

· Proper tuning of vehicles shall be ensured to keep the harmful gas emission

from the vehicles within the prescribed norms.

TOP SOIL MANAGEMENT : There is no top soil layer existing in the river sand bed.

45

DISPOSAL OF QUARRYING EQUIPMENTS & MACHINERY : The river sand extraction being a manually operated process, the equipment and

the machinery involved is limited to sand collection boats with or without

mechanical loaders and transporting vehicles. The equipments involved in the sand

extraction process can be disposed off during the progressive closure plan.

SECURITY & DISASTER MANAGEMENT :

The Lessee has to personally supervise the river sand extraction operations and

takes every care of the safety and security of the labors involved. The careful and

skillful operations, reduces the possibility of any disaster and risk to the lives of

labors.

46

47

48

49

50