Respect the river, don’t treat it like a quarry

Rivers should not be treated as quarries. The challenge is to reconcile the demand for building material with the equally compelling need to keep water bodies alive.

The Supreme Court has pulled up state governments at least three times since 2023 for their failure to check illegal sand mining.

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2 min readNov 13, 2026 06:15 AM IST First published on: Nov 13, 2026 at 06:15 AM IST

Sand is the second-most exploited natural resource after water in several parts of the world, including India. Unregulated extraction of sand is a serious environmental challenge — it deepens and widens the riverbed, destabilises riverbanks, alters natural water flow, and causes downstream erosion. The Supreme Court has pulled up state governments at least three times since 2023 for their failure to check illegal sand mining. But a nearly 40 per cent gap in sand supplies for India’s burgeoning construction industry has meant that court orders remain largely unimplemented. The Central Empowered Committee, which advises the SC on forest-related matters, has now proposed a different approach. It has recommended a three-year road map to phase out sand extraction from active river channels. The CEC has also suggested alternative sources to progressively reduce dependence on this natural resource. In a report submitted to the Court earlier this month, the Committee has called for desilting of dams and reservoirs.

Sand and gravel naturally make their way to riverbeds, raising them steadily and lowering the carrying capacity of water bodies. Desilting clears these blockages and allows free flow of water during heavy rainfall. Implementing the CEC’s proposal could replenish reservoir capacity. But the Court-appointed committee has rightly underlined the need for a long-term plan to implement its suggestion. Its caution is justified. Sediments do not always impair the health of rivers. They play an important role in sustaining downstream river ecosystems. In 2022, a committee headed by former Central Water Commission chairperson B K Mittal had found large-scale desilting technologically and economically unviable. Like the CEC, it recommended dredging only at specific reaches of rivers, when backed by scientific studies.

The Court-appointed committee has also acknowledged that it does not know how much sand dams in the country hold. It has asked the Jal Shakti Ministry to steward a national framework specifying reservoir-wise sediment availability, financial arrangements and environmental safeguards. The Centre and state governments would do well to read the underlying message behind the CEC’s proposals. Rivers should not be treated as quarries. The challenge is to reconcile the demand for building material with the equally compelling need to keep water bodies alive.