'Floods and mining are linked'

There is a direct link between unabated mining and the floods which devastated the North Karnataka region in 2009, said environmentalist and High Court Lok Adalat member Y N Yellappa Reddy.

Speaking with mediapersons here on Friday, he said  mining activities in the Western Ghats region -  the main source of rivers and lakes - has led to the deterioration of environment. Constant mining activities had led to the destruction of grassland.

And rainwater, instead of soaking into the grounds, flowed towards rivers and lakes, leading to erosion of the upper layer of soil. This in turn, had reduced the water-storing capacity of the dams.

He said the water storage capacity at the Tungabhadra dam in Hospet had been reduced to 38.40 per cent.Inadequate rainfall marked the monsoons of late. 

Since the land lost its ability to absorb rain, the rainwater flowed into the rivers. The muddy-floods in Mantralaya only substantiates this, he explained.

Even amid environmentalists crying hoarse about mining activities, among the total 49,000 mining proposals awaiting the Union government’s nod, 19,000 proposals have been forwarded by the Karnataka government alone. It is unfortunate to note that we are yet to realise the importance of soil, he rued.

Uninterrupted limestone mining to meet the requirements of the cement factories and unabated mining of ores to meet the global demand for iron ore have led to widespread destruction.

There will be nothing left for the future generation, Reddy expressed his fears.