Government promises to address concerns about offshore sand mining
The government has promised to address the concerns of fishermen and local communities about offshore sand mining during the preparation of production and environmental management plans.
Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday informed Lok Sabha that the first tranche of auction for 13 offshore mining blocks was launched last November. He added this included three offshore blocks for construction sand off the coast of Kerala.
Yadav was responding to Congress lawmaker KC Venugopal’s questions on whether a comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was conducted before the auction of sand blocks for offshore mining in Kerala. Venugopal sought the details of key findings along with the degradation of coastal ecosystems. He asked whether the government has taken steps to address the concerns among local fishing communities, particularly the disruption of fish breeding grounds and migratory patterns essential for sustaining traditional livelihoods.
Venugopal questioned whether the government coordinated with state authorities and environmental experts to assess the long-term environmental and socio-economic impacts of the proposed offshore sand mining and whether it prompted any consideration to recall or suspend the proposal until adequate safeguards were in place.
Yadav said the Offshore Areas Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, 2002, along with the rules made thereunder, contain provisions to safeguard ecological balance, and biodiversity, and protect the interests of fishermen. “In accordance with the Offshore Areas Mineral Conservation and Development Rules, 2024, no production operations will be undertaken except in accordance with an approved production plan.”
He said every lessee has to submit the production and environmental management plans before commencing exploration or production activities.
The environment ministry separately informed Parliament that 199 cases about the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, violation have been filed in the National Green Tribunal, Supreme Court, and high courts.
In response to Congress lawmaker K Gopinath’s questions about delays in environmental clearances due to legal hurdles, the government said the cases include those related to non-compliance with EIA notification as amended in respect of projects/activities otherwise eligible for grant of prior clearance. The government said the procedure laid to deal with such cases of non-compliance as amended, was sub-judice. It said the government has been taking necessary steps to resolve the legal hurdles.
The environment ministry said it has undertaken reforms to streamline the clearance process through technological intervention, upgrading the PARIVESH (Single Window Portal providing end-to-end online solution) portal, and policy reforms.
In response to a separate question on the impact of climate change on Lakshadweep, the ministry told Lok Sabha a considerable percentage of the hard coral species there have undergone severe bleaching, primarily due to a prolonged period of marine heatwaves since October 2023.
“Small islands are amongst the most vulnerable to sea level rise and other climate change-related impacts,” minister of state for environment Kirti Vardhan Singh said. He added the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management has undertaken physical vulnerability studies for four islands of Lakshadweep using climate change-related scenarios of extreme events such as storm surges and tsunamis, etc, to identify vulnerable areas along the island coast.
He was responding to Congress lawmaker Muhammed Hamdullah Sayeed’s question on whether the government is working on long-term strategies to address future risks of sea-level rise and climate-induced heat stress in Lakshadweep.