A Review of the Impact of Illegal Sand Mining on Environment

Abstract

In the conservation of the environment, sand is an important mineral for our society, where this activity of sand and soil extraction is becoming an environmental problem as demand for sand rises in industry and construction. Considerable environmental harm can be attributed to mining and its related operations. In this article, we discuss the direct and indirect impacts on the ecosystem in Indian regions due to soil and sand mining. Water contamination is evident by the coloration of water that ranges from brownish to reddish orange in most rivers and streams in the mining zone.Some of the physicochemical and biological parameters that define the deterioration of water quality are low pH (between 2-3), high electrical conductivity, high concentration of ions of sulphate and iron and toxic heavy metals, low dissolved oxygen (DO) and high BOD. Acid mine discharge (AMD) pollution from mining and spoils, heavy metal leaching, organic enrichment, and sand particle silting are major causes of water quality degradation.