<p>Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala is set to witness a coastal area shutdown on Thursday in protest against the Centre's decision to go for sea-sand mining off the Kollam coast, a study by the Kerala University has vindicated the concerns regarding the adverse ecological impacts of the offshore mining.</p><p>Various forums under the banner of fisheries coordination committee have made the call for the coastal hartal with the backing of mainstream parties like the ruling CPM and the opposition Congress.</p><p>The key demand is to revoke the decision to allow sand mining from three blocks off the Kollam coast with a total area of 242 square kilometers. </p><p>The ministry of mines had already initiated the tendering process last November and the preferred bidders are scheduled to be announced by March 27 this year.</p>.Tamil Nadu to set up Conservation Center at Point Calimere after over 1000 dead sea turtles washed ashore along East Coast .<p>The Kollam coast is one of the most productive fishing zones on the country's southwest coast. The region is a popular ground for species like deep-sea prawns, shrimps, lobsters and squid that are key contributors to the state's economy.</p><p><strong>Study vindicates concerns</strong></p><p>The key concerns of those opposing the offshore sea sand mining regarding the ecological impacts have been vindicated by a study by the aquatic biology and fisheries department of the Kerala University. The study concluded that any dredging activity in this ecologically sensitive area could have devastating effects, endangering marine species, disrupting habitats, and causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem. It could also aggravate the coastal erosion being suffered by the region.</p><p>"Given the absence of comprehensive environmental impact assessments and a lack of comparative studies on different mining practices, there is no justification for rushing into large-scale sand extraction," said the study headed by senior professor and head of the department A Biju Kumar.</p><p><strong>Centre gains powers through amendment</strong></p><p>With the amendments made in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in 2023, the Centre is empowered to exclusively auction mineral concessions for critical minerals. Revenue from these auctions will go to concerned states.</p><p>Based on findings of the Geological Survey of India, the ministry of mines initiated the tendering process of 13 offshore mineral blocks. It includes three blocks of lime mud off the Gujarat coast, three blocks of construction sand off the Kerala coast and seven blocks of Polymetallic nodules and crusts off the Great Nicobar Island coast.</p><p>All the three blocks in Kerala are off the Kollam coast. </p><p>As per the GSI, the loose granular sand with size of less than four millimeter and more than 0.0625 millimetre is ideal for construction purposes. Compared to river sand and manufactured sand, the offshore sand is easy to mix. Compliance with size requirements of the construction industry and reduced environmental impact are the other suitability factors cited by the GSI. The total resources available from the three blocks is estimated at 302 million tones.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: As Kerala is set to witness a coastal area shutdown on Thursday in protest against the Centre's decision to go for sea-sand mining off the Kollam coast, a study by the Kerala University has vindicated the concerns regarding the adverse ecological impacts of the offshore mining.</p><p>Various forums under the banner of fisheries coordination committee have made the call for the coastal hartal with the backing of mainstream parties like the ruling CPM and the opposition Congress.</p><p>The key demand is to revoke the decision to allow sand mining from three blocks off the Kollam coast with a total area of 242 square kilometers. </p><p>The ministry of mines had already initiated the tendering process last November and the preferred bidders are scheduled to be announced by March 27 this year.</p>.Tamil Nadu to set up Conservation Center at Point Calimere after over 1000 dead sea turtles washed ashore along East Coast .<p>The Kollam coast is one of the most productive fishing zones on the country's southwest coast. The region is a popular ground for species like deep-sea prawns, shrimps, lobsters and squid that are key contributors to the state's economy.</p><p><strong>Study vindicates concerns</strong></p><p>The key concerns of those opposing the offshore sea sand mining regarding the ecological impacts have been vindicated by a study by the aquatic biology and fisheries department of the Kerala University. The study concluded that any dredging activity in this ecologically sensitive area could have devastating effects, endangering marine species, disrupting habitats, and causing irreversible damage to the ecosystem. It could also aggravate the coastal erosion being suffered by the region.</p><p>"Given the absence of comprehensive environmental impact assessments and a lack of comparative studies on different mining practices, there is no justification for rushing into large-scale sand extraction," said the study headed by senior professor and head of the department A Biju Kumar.</p><p><strong>Centre gains powers through amendment</strong></p><p>With the amendments made in the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in 2023, the Centre is empowered to exclusively auction mineral concessions for critical minerals. Revenue from these auctions will go to concerned states.</p><p>Based on findings of the Geological Survey of India, the ministry of mines initiated the tendering process of 13 offshore mineral blocks. It includes three blocks of lime mud off the Gujarat coast, three blocks of construction sand off the Kerala coast and seven blocks of Polymetallic nodules and crusts off the Great Nicobar Island coast.</p><p>All the three blocks in Kerala are off the Kollam coast. </p><p>As per the GSI, the loose granular sand with size of less than four millimeter and more than 0.0625 millimetre is ideal for construction purposes. Compared to river sand and manufactured sand, the offshore sand is easy to mix. Compliance with size requirements of the construction industry and reduced environmental impact are the other suitability factors cited by the GSI. The total resources available from the three blocks is estimated at 302 million tones.</p>