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Extraction of sand from rivers
Environmental policies and laws
PABASARA GUNAWARDANE
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OUTLINE Introduction Early regulations Mines and mineral Act no. 33 of 1992 Issuing of an extracting license Drawbacks of the Act Amendments Dangers of river sand mining Recommendations
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Sand Naturally occurring Granular material Composed of finely divided rock & mineral particles SiO2 Takes million years to produce Used in constructions
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Mining is the extraction or excavating on, in or below the earth surface for the purpose of evaluating and obtaining of mineral which is a naturally occurring substance that can be mined whether in solid, liquid or gaseous form in, on or below the surface of the soil.
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Main rivers where extraction is done Mahaweli river Kelani river Kalu ganga Walawe ganga Malwathu oya Nilwala
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Dangers of river sand mining Coastal erosion Salt-water intrusion Lack of bed load of sand to replenish the
equilibrium of the coast Damage to infrastructure Facilities Lowering of water table Social Issues related with sand mining
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Early regulations
Mineral lease No: 2357 (Act 1874) Mining purpose lease No: 597 (Act 1906) Private lands lease No: 3711 (Act 1906) Mines and minerals law, No. 4 of 1973 Focused upon economic values
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History
Absolute ownership of all minerals is vested in the crown/republic
Establishment of Mineral survey of Ceylon in 1903 In 1939 Department of mineralogy Geological survey department in 1962
Dr. Ananda Coomaraswamy
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Licensing concessions for sand mining till the latter part of the last century was within the ambit of the District Administration
Exploitation without concern for the river environment as whole due to increasing demand
Low of technical knowledge at the time
Outdated penalties and fines
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Mines and mineral Act No. 33 of 1992
Ownership is vested in the republic Establishment of Geological Survey and Mines
Bureau (GSMB) Regulation of mining, processing and trading Licensing is more centralized Several amendments were made after public
interest litigations
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A standard sand mining license would indicate ,
The number of persons and boats that are allowed for the exercise
The number of days per week that the mining was allowed at a particular site
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Mechanized mining is prohibited under the National Environmental Act 47 of 1980 and by the supreme court in 2004
Artisanal methods are only permitted The extractions should be done in the river 7m away from the
river bank The storing area must be kept on the ground more than 10m
away from the bank. Any damage to the river bank is prohibited Another permit is needed to transport sand If any illegal activity is reported, license will be cancelled
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GSMB has the monopoly but the staff is insufficient Licensing of sites and transport is often subject to political and
other pressures The penalties and fines are not updated Cabinet decisions that conflict with the act A warrant is required to arrest the offenders The inefficiency or the self resistance of the Police when
implementing law Multiplicity of laws and weakness in regulation results in poor
and selective enforcement.
Drawbacks of the Act
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Enforcement requires assistance of many institutions including mainly police.
Extractions by armed forces Institutions have own priorities. Regulation and enforcement staff subject to
political and other pressures Lack of awareness of the importance of conserving
natural resources among the community
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The Parliament
increasing the fines and penalties for offences by acts Amendment No. 66 of 2009
Introduction of National Policy on Sand as a Resource for the Construction Industry
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Penalties
Fine of Rs.50,000 to Rs.500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months
In a case of second or subsequent offence, fine of Rs.200,000 to Rs.2,000,000
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The Supreme Court Transport licenses are to be connected with the
mining license. All roots and destinations should be specified on the
transport license Banning of sand extraction from Deduru oya and Ma
oya Declaration of no mining zones Extraction of sand in order to prevent flooding in
Manampitiya
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Recommendations Implementation of off shore mining Increase of fining and period of imprisoned for the
offences Continuous update of the act with time Overcome Political inertia (Allow STF) Introducing alternatives (Sea sand, M- Sand, Powdered
glass ) Surmount market resistance to alternatives Protect upstream sections which are critical flow
regimes Encouraging CBO Community awareness
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Personal Contacts1. Mrs. Hema Liyanaarachchi
The registrar,Geological Survey and mines bureau
2. Mr. M.S.K. FernandoLegal officer,Geological Survey and mines bureau
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References Badra Kamaladasa, Issues and challenges in river management due to excessive
sand mining, Irrigation Department of Sri Lanka Colombo, 2011
Ranjith Rathnayake, Corruption & Unregulated/Illicit River Sand Mining (RSM) in Sri Lanka, 2012
Environmental foundation limited (2014) : Sand mining in Maha oya. Available at: http://efl.lk/legal-matters/sand-mining-in-riverine-systems-case-no-scfr-812(Accessed 28 April 2014)
Mining madness, The Sunday Times Sunday, July 29, 2012
Review of mines and minerals act of Sri lanka
Sadeepa Senarath Yapa, Applied Science Blog, Faculty of Applied Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka, August 5, 2011 (Accessed 28 April 2014)
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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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Thank You!!!