Mining strategies and management

Abstract

The exponential rise in the demand for construction grade sand resulted from economic growth and the liberal development policies over the years have aggravated indiscriminate scooping of sand and gravel from river beds and floodplains of most rivers in the world. The situation warrants scientific interventions for judicious management of the river bed resources by striking a balance between its demand for development and the environmental concerns. The present chapter reviews the existing regulatory procedures, and also environmental laws/policies that are in practice in different parts of the world. A set of guidelines have been put forth to update the existing sand and gravel extraction policies in India and elsewhere for achieving the goal of sustainability in the case of sand resource extraction and managements.