Overexploitation of riverbed wrecking Mahottari: Report

By Our Correspondent

Mahottari, Jan 8 : A recent monitoring in many areas, including Mahottari district, has brought to light a dire situation caused by excessive exploitation of riverine and mineral resources after the local levels started giving heavy discounts in the name of making income.

District Monitoring and Coordinating Committee Mahottari disclosed this grim fact in a report made public after monitoring the exploitation of the resources in Bhangaha, Bardibas and Gaushala municipalities in Mahottari district.

In the report, it has been mentioned that the natural resources of the rivers facilitate the development, but for lack of awareness and because of excessive excavation of the resources like boulders and sand, a terrible situation has unfolded. 

Suman Kumar Lal Karn, Head of District Coordination Committee, Mahottari, said that the excavations of resources by digging big pits have led to floods, erosion and human casualties during the rainy season, but the local levels were not aware of this dire situation.

Informing that there was not a single crusher or sand processing industry or mine in the district that has met the legal standards, he said, “It seems that the local levels have given exemptions in the name of income sources, but the situation has become dire for lack of effective monitoring.”

He informed that some municipalities have promoted illegal mining instead of controlling them while allowing to excavate the river materials. 

The crusher industry/mining centres have not provided necessary documents including the actual information about the condition of the industries, said Karn. He said that they were facing problems in providing documents, certificates and bills. 

The report prepared after a monitoring of the sites by a team consisting of Chief District Officer Deepak Kumar Pahadi, Superintendent of Police Krishna Prasad Pangeni, Superintendent of Armed Police Dipendra Giri and non-gazzeted officer of District Coordination Committee Mrigendra Kumar Yadav stated that the system of payment should be made only after identifying the source of the river materials used in the construction of various development projects in the district. It has been mentioned that it is necessary for the relevant agencies to be responsible for implementing it.

It has been suggested in the report that each municipality should prepare a profile of the crusher mines in their area and keep a monitoring committee and provide its report to the District Monitoring Committee every month.