Quarrying Plan and Progressive Closure Plan for Ordinary River Sand

QUARRYING PLAN AND PROGRESSIVE CLOSURE PLAN FOR ORDINARY RIVER SAND

AT NUZIBALTHILA BLOCK-9

Granted to M/s. LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED

Over an area of 5.00 Ha. in Sy. No. 72/1 Of Nujibalthila Village, Puttur Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District

(Government Land)

Prepared by: DR. P. VIRUPAKSHI and SRI. SUBBAN H.V., M.Sc., M. Phil., Ph.D., RQP/BNG/284/2011/ A Valid up to 04.12.2021

Contents

Sl. No. Particulars Page No. Introduction 1 1.0 General 3 2.0 Location and Accessibility 4 PART-A 3.0 Geology and Exploration 7 4.0 Quarrying 10 5.0 Blasting 15 6.0 Mine Drainage 16 7.0 Stoking of Mineral rejects and Disposal of Waste 17 8.0 Use of Mineral 18 9.0 Others 18 10.0 Mineral Processing 19 Part –B 11.0 Environment Management Plan 20

LIST OF PLATES Plate No. Details Scale 1 KEY PLAN & LOCATION IN DISTRICT 1: 50,000

2 CADASTRAL PLAN 1”: 330 3 SAND BAR LCATION & RIVERS IN D.K. DISTRICT 1:150,000

4 GEOLOGICAL CROSS SECTIONS & CONCEPTUAL 1Cm : 10 PLAN 5 ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT PLAN 1:50,000

LIST OF ANNEXURES Sl. Particulars Annexure No. No. 1 Notification of Karnataka Gazetter by Department of 1 Mines & Geology Notification No. DSC/DKD/R- Sand/Work-01/2016-17 (No. GM/DK/DMG/ /-01- 2016-17 dated 16-03-2017. 2 Memorandum of Association & Articles of Association 2 of Larsen & Toubro Ltd. And Power of Attorney, VAT registration Certificate 3 Authorization from the Company 3 4 Address Proof ID of L & T Ltd. representative 4

PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE LEASE AREA

PART– I QUARRYING PLAN FOR RIVER SAND BLOCK

GRANTED TO

M/s. LARSEN & TOURBO LIMITED

OVER AN EXTENT OF 10.00 Ha. IN SURVEY NO. 72/1 OF NUJIBALTHILA BLOCK-9 AT NUJIBALTHILA VILLAGE, PUTTUR TALUK, DAKSHINA KANNADA DISTRICT (Government Land) 1. INTRODUCTION:

M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Dakshina Kannada District represented by Sri. Vadiraj B. Katti S/o. Balacharya A. Katti, Chief General Manager, having Office at Govinda Residency, 6-81-1-2, Jacribettu, Bantwal Kasaba, Bantwal Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District-574211 has allotted construction of Four Lane Cement Concrete Road of 63 Km. Road from Gundya to BC Road by National Highway Authority of India Limited. The M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. approached The Deputy Director of Mines and Geology, Dakshina Kannada and District Sand Monitoring Committee for allotment of demarcated River sand blocks to extract the sand for construction of Cement Concrete Road. The Deputy Director, Dept. of Mines & Geology has allocated five River Sand Blocks to M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. vide Notification No. No. DSC/DKD/R-Sand/Work-01/2016-17 (No. GM/DK/DMG/ /-01-2016-17 dated 16-03-2017 in Dakshina Kannada District for a period of 3 years.

The Department of Mines & Geology along with Revenue Department has identified the blocks in non CRZ Zone along Netravathi River bed and allotted to M/s. Larsen & Toubro Ltd. for the extraction of sand to proceed with road construction. All the five blocks are located at different location along Netravathi river bed in Puttur, Belthangadi and Bantwal taluks of Dakshina Kannada District are as follows. 7

Sl. Name of the Location of Block Sy. Exte Sand Tenure No. Sand Block No. nt in Availia of the Ha. ble in Lease MT 1 Ilanthila Block Ilantila village 29 & 5.00 87000 3 Years No.1 42 Belthangadi Tq. Netravathi River 2 B Muda Block- B Mooda village 207/2 5.00 101000 3 Years 2 /A1 Bantwal Tq. Netravathi River 3 Nujibalthila Noojibalthila village 72/1 5.00 58000 3 Years Block-9 Puttur Tq. Gundya Hole 4 Kadeshvalya Kadeshvalya village 1 5.00 70000 3 Years Block-12 Bantwal Tq. Netravathi River 5 Kadeshvalya Kadeshvalya village 1 5.00 73000 3 Years Block-15 Bantwal Tq. Netravathi River

Since the river sand is annually replenishable resource in coastal district of Karnataka, the above blocks were allocated for extraction of sand to M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited for a period of 3 years.

The applicant is submitting quarrying plan for Nujibalthila Block-9 seeking approval of quarrying plan and Environmental clearance to start the quarrying activity for road construction for a period of 3 years. The Gazette Notification from Deputy Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Dakshina Kannada District, memorandum of Association & Article of Association of Larsen & Toubro Ltd., authorization from the company, address proof and ID is enclosed in Annexure 1- 4. 8

The applicant has approached the RQP for preparation of quarrying Plan for first three years; The applicant is intended to extract river sand for construction of cement concrete National Highway Road from Gundya to B.C. Road. The area is found to have deposit of river sand covering the lease area. Detailed study of the area has been done by the RQP along with applicant to assess the quality and quantity of the river sand available in the area. The deposits of river sand material perish shallow depth. In view of the proposed development, the applicant intends to go for production of 6120 Tons for 3 years by manual extraction of river sand.

The applicant is submitting quarrying plan for a period of first three years to extract the river sand as pre-requisite to getting approval from the Department of Mines & Geology and Environmental Clearance from DEIAA as per the provisions Rule 8(1A), 8C,D,F and 8H and Karnataka Minor Concession (Amendment) Rules 2013 In line with the Gazette of India S.O. No. 141 (E) dated 15th January, 2016, issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest & Climate Change, Government of India to proceed with Sand extraction.

The Gundya Hole is flowing at Nujibalthila Village north east to south west with shallow sand bars/ deposits all along the river course. The quarry plan is prepared with specific aims as given below:

1. Systematic, scientific and safe sand quarrying with a view to protect environment and minimize environmental degradation to ensure security of the people living around. 2. Conserve and maximum utilization of reserves by minimizing the wastage. 3. Planned dumping and storage of waste thereby protecting soil cover and maintenance of clean and hygienic environment. 4. The quarrying operations will be conducted by manual method.

1. GENERAL:

The applicant intends to extract river sand for construction of National Highway from Gundya to B.C. road and having good business experience.

a. Name and address of : M/s. LARSEN & TOUBRO LIMITED. the applicant Represented by SRI. VADIRAJ B. KATTI Chief General Manager M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Govinda Residency, 6-81-1-2 Jacribettu, Bantwal Kasaba Bantwal Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District-574211 Ph: 91 9480690200 b. Status of the applicant : Company c. Minerals/ Which are occurring in the area and which intends to mine:

: River Sand

d. Period for which the quarry lease is proposed to be applied: 3 Years.

e. Name and address of DR. P. VIRUPAKSHI, M.Sc. M.Phil., Ph.D. RQP No. 273, 8th Main, BCC Layout Chandra Layout, Vijaya Nagara Bengaluru-560 040 Ph: 9986749095

and Sri. Subban H.V. RQP/BNG/284/2011/A # 58, 26th Main, Behind BHEL Colony Nandini Layout Bengaluru- 560 096 Phone: +91 916137429

f. Reference No. and Date of consent letter from the State Govt. : The Deputy Director, Department of Mines & Geology, Dakshina Kannada notified the area over an extent of 5.00 Ha. vide Notification No. DSC/DKD/R-Sand/Work-01/2016-17 (No. GM/DK/DMG/ /-01-2016-17

dated 16-03-2017. (Annexure-1) 2.0 LOCATION AND ACCESSIBILITY: Details of the Area (with Location Map)

Details of the Area (with location map)

a. District and State : Dakshina Kannada District Karnataka State Taluk : Puttur Village : Nujibalthila Survey. No : 72/1 Lease Area (Acres) : 5.00 Ha. (12.35 Acres)

b. Whether the area is recorded to be in the forest (Please specify whether protected, reserved etc.) : No c. Ownership occupancy : Government Land d. Existence of public road/ railway line, if any nearby & approximate distance: The lease area is located at Sy. No. 72/1 in Nujibalthila village limits about 1.60 Km. North East of Nujibalthila village, about 1.30 Km. south West of Ichlampadi Village, about 3.31 Km. South East of Renjaladi village, about 4.90 Km. North of Kutrapadi village, about 4.7 Km. south west of Balya village and 2.27 Km. South East of Rekya Village and 4.90 Km. south west of Mannagundi Village, about 22.00 Km. East of Uppinangadi and 28.00 Km. North East of Puttur Town which is taluk headquarter and about 72.00 Km. east of Mangalore City where all the welfare amenities are available. The proposed sand block is connected by village road to Mannagandi village to Kutrapadi Village. Mannagandi is on National Highway 75.

The nearest railway station is Kabaka Puttur at a distance of 25.00 Km south of the lease area. The nearest airport is Mangalore International Airport which is 90.00 Kms. The sand blocks/ lease area can be reached

through private road to Mannagani-Icalampadi village Road. The lease area is surrounded by moderate to dense vegetation along the river banks and sand deposits along the river bed. Power connections are available at Nujibaltila Village, Telecommunication facility is available at above habitation, Dispensary is located at Mannagandi & Uppinangadi Towns to the lease area. e. Toposheet No. with Latitude and Longitude: The quarry area falls part of Survey of India Toposheet No. 48 P / 5 of 1:50, 000 Scale (Plate No.1).

GPS Readings (Datum: WGS 84) Point No. Latitude Longitude Ilantila Block-9 A N 120 47' 35.41” E 750 27' 28.25" B N 120 47' 40.15" E 750 27' 27.96" C N 120 47' 45.33" E 750 27' 27.97" D N 120 47' 48.92" E 750 27' 27.20" E N 120 47' 55.06" E 750 27' 27.67" F N 120 47' 54.88" E 750 27' 24.99" G N 120 47' 48.40" E 750 27' 24.58" H N 120 47' 45.11" E 750 27' 25.33" I N 120 47' 39.120" E 750 27' 25.28" J N 120 47' 35.03" E 750 27' 25.58"

f. Land use Pattern (Forest, Agricultural, and Grazing and Barren etc.):

The sand blocks demarcated along the river bed for sand mining is Government land. It is sand bed and underlined by Granitic Gneiss sheet rock as visible in low lying and river meanderings.

The present Land Use pattern of the quarry Area is as follows

Sl. Land use Category Present Land No. Use (Ha.)

1 Quarry workings -

2 Waste dumps -

3 Roads -

4 Rock boulder storage -

5 Buffer zone/Green belt -

6 Infrastructure -

7 Untouched Area/ Reserved for 5.00 future activity

Total 5.00

g. Attach a general location and vicinity map showing area boundaries and existing and proposed access routes. It is preferred that the area to be marked on a Survey of India Topographical map or a cadastral map or forest map as the case may be. However if none of the these area available, the area should be shown on an accurate map of 1:5000 Scale

Location of Quarry Lease area is marked on 1:50,000 scale Survey India Toposheet 48 P / 5 (Plate-1) and 1”: 330’ Cadastral map (Plate No. 2)

PART-A

3.0 GEOLOGY AND EXPLORATION: a. Briefly describe the topography and general geology and local / mine

geology of the mineral deposit including drainage pattern:

Topography: Puttur Taluk of Dakshnina Kananda District coming under western slopes, highly undulating topography covered by hillocks and mounds overlaid by lateritic soil followed by Peninsular Gneiss. The area is underlined by peninsular gneiss and the ground sloping towards west. The Gundya hole is flowing across the taluk with moderate to gentle slope with sand deposits along the river bed. The altitude of the area is 74 to 75 eters above mean sea level. The general slope of the area is towards South West. Topography is both structurally and lithologically controlled. The sand block area is very gently sloping terrain towards west with gneissic rock exposures trending North- South direction exposed below the sand. The sand block area is part of middle part of Gundya hole bed and flows towards west and joins and joins with Kumaradhara river.

General Geology: Dakshina Kannada District consists of early Precambrian Gneiss, Granulites and Granites overlaid by tertiary Literates and bentonitic clays followed by younger quaternary alluvium. The eastern part of the district is bordered by Sahyadri ranges of Westren Ghats, especially in Malavantige and Dharmastala part of Belthangadi Taluk consists of slivers of low grade schist of Bababudan group such as meta-volcanic Banded Iron Formations. The eastern part of Suliya Taluk consists of high grade schistose metamorphic formations especially with high alumina meta-sediments which have been intruded by Agerine Syenites and Pegmatites. The Pegmatite’s are

pinkish brown and whitish mineral veins consist of large grains of soda- potash feldspars and quartz veins from integral part of the Granitic Gneisses.

Recent Soil Tertiary Laterites Late Pegmatites Precambrian Dolerites Achaean Peninsular Gneissic Charnockites / complex Granites and Gniesses Dharwar super Group Amphibolite and Hornblende Schist

Dolerites: The Precambrian Gneisses and Schist’s cross cut by dolerite dykes varying thickness ranging from few centimeters to kilometers traversing gneisses. Laterites: Laterite which forms ubiquitous formations in the coastal region consists of supergene weathering products made-up of mainly Iron and aluminous hydroxides. Soils: The Granitic Gneiss outcrops, schist’s, dolerites are covered by thin cap of loamy soil formed by weathering of Gneisses.

4. Fluvial Geomorphology (Origin of Sand): The west coast rivers of Karnataka originate all along Sahyadries (Western Ghats) at higher elevations i.e. more than one thousand meters above mean sea level and flow westerly along down the gradient courses in undulating fluvial channels and ultimately join the Arabian Sea at Zero Mean Sea level. The Major rivers of Dakshina Kannada are Netravathi, Gurpur (Phalguni) rivers. The Gundya Hole joins near Balya with Kumaradhara and joins with Netravathi at Uppinangadi. River Gurpur joins Netravathi at the estury of later near the coast of Mangalore city. The other rivers in the district are Mulki (Shambavi), Pavanje (Nandini) and Payaswini. The origin of West

Coast Rivers are post Sahyadri upliftment event and have been affected by recent neo-tectonic movements as evidenced by significant tectonic warp patterns in the fluvial geomorphology. Gundya Hole: Gunya Hole originates near Kumarahalli of Saklespur Taluk on Sahyadri ranges of Western Ghats flows down the gradient of Western Ghats towards west, several streams join form Gundya hole join together to Kumaradhara river. Another sublet of Netravathi river, later Kumaradhara joins with Netravathi at Uppinangadi in Puttur Taluk. The pH of Gundya hole water ranges from 6.7 to 7.3 and the TDS ranges from 65 to 145. Out of cumulative discharge in Gundya hle, about 94% of annual discharge flows during the monsoon season spanning from June to October in a year.

SEDIMENTATION: Due to Natural gradient the west flowing coastal rivers carry substantial quantities of sedimentation derived from the weathering and erosion of different rock formations in the drainage catchment area. The Western Ghats and the catchments are blessed with copious rainfall normally between the months of June to October every year. The runoff derived from the luxuriant rainfall carry lot of weathered and eroded particles from the catchment area which eventually find their way into down the gradient following the streams and rivers. RATE OF SEDIMANTATION: The rate of sedimentation in the west flowing rivers assessed by field research studies during past five years in the field ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters per year. In the initial and upper reaches of the river course of Gundya hole the rate of sedimentation is about 0.5 meters per year. In the middle reaches of Netravathi the sedimentation deposition ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters and along the lower reaches towards coastal estuaries it ranges’ fro, 2.00 to 3.00 Meters per annum. MINEROLOGY & GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTION: The sandy sediments consist of quartz, feldspar, laterite particles, fine sized rock fragments, clay fractions and organic remains. The upstream reaches contain largely of

coarse sand admixed with different sizes of pebbles, whereas the grain size decreases as we go downstream towards estuaries. Thick sedimentation of fine sand can be found in estuary beds and proximal tidal reaches. Results of the representative grain size analysis of the 13 river samples collected from Netravathi river of Dakshina Kannada district is presented in the below table. In the middle and upper stretches of the coastal rivers the coarse fraction (20 size mesh ASTM) ranges from 38 to 63 from the sieve analysis.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION: Previous studies conducted for analysis of sands samples collected from major rivers of Dakshina Kannada District revealed that the SiO2 content ranges from 78 to 86% reflects the presence of Quartz grains derived from silica rich acidic granitic rocks, the Al2O3 content ranges from 2.6 to 8.5%, FeO ranges from 0.4 to 0.7% suggesting minor contribution from laterite. The CaO and MgO Content ranges from 1.9 to 4.1% and 0.1 to 1.7% respectively and alkalies (Na2O) from 0.5 to 1.1 and K2O from 0.7 to 1.1 suggesting contribution from the gneissic and granitic provenance rock.750

RIVER SAND BLOCK BOUNDARIES:

Sl. Name of Location of Sy. Longitude Latitude Exten No. the Sand Block No. t in Block Ha. 1 Nujibalthila Karnataka 72/1 A-N 120 47' 35.41” E750 27' 28.25" Block-9 B-N 120 47' 40.15" E 750 27' 27.96" Dakshina 0 0 5.00 Kannada C-N 12 47' 45.33" E 75 27' 27.97" D-N 120 47' 48.92" E 750 27' 27.20" Puttur Tq. E-N 120 47' 55.06" E 750 27' 27.67" F-N 120 47' 54.88" E 750 27' 24.99" Nujibalthila 0 0 Village G-N 12 47' 48.40" E 75 27' 24.58" H-N 120 47' 45.11" E 750 27' 25.33" Gundya River I-N 120 47' 39.12" E 750 27' 25.28" J- N 120 47' 35.03" E 750 27' 25.58"

The Nujibalthila Sand Block-9 at Nujibalthila fall in Nujibalthila village, Puttur Taluk in Survey of India Toposheet 48 P/5. The delineation of sand block and the sketch was done by Department of Mines and Geology and verified by the qualified person during the field visit during last week of March 2017.

Geographic Coordinates of the boundaries of the river Sand block:

Block No. Village Corner Longitude Latitude Point Nujibalthila Sand A N 120 47' 35.41” E 750 27' 28.25" Block-9 B N 120 47' 40.15" E 750 27' 27.96" C N 120 47' 45.33" E 750 27' 27.97" D N 120 47' 48.92" E 750 27' 27.20" E N 120 47' 55.06" E 750 27' 27.67" F N 120 47' 54.88" E 750 27' 24.99" G N 120 47' 48.40" E 750 27' 24.58" H N 120 47' 45.11" E 750 27' 25.33" I N 120 47' 39.12" E 750 27' 25.28" J N 120 47' 35.03" E 750 27' 25.58"

EXPLORATION OF SAND: The river sand is being extracted traditionally since several decades. The River Sand blocks are accessible by connecting roads and consist of annually replenishing mineable reserves of ordinary river sand suitable for construction purposes. The river sand is replenish able minor mineral resource that are being recharges annually in the river bed along with inflow of surface water as a result of natural erosion in the catchment area and transportation along the river channel in the downstream direction.

DEMARCATION OF RIVER SAND BLOCK: The River sand blocks have been demarcated by Department of Mines and Geology after observing guidelines by the Karnataka State Government in Karnataka Minor Mineral Concession (Amendment) Rules 2013 an 2016.

As per KMMC Rule (8 V (d) defines environmental buffer to be left unharmed during sand extraction along the river bed margins. Only the central ¾ portion of the width of the river bed may be mined for river sand leaving out 1/8 of the river

bed margins on either bank is banned extraction of sand. Further after every 1000 meters of sand extraction zones along the river bed a gap of 50m should be left as un-minable buffer as per the KMMC rule 2013 & 2016 Rule 8 V (a).

Further, the buffer Zone on either side of the Bridge is specified as 5 times the bridge span (which should be less than 250M) on upstream direction and 10 times the bridge span (not less than 500 M) on the downstream direction.

Rule 8V (e) of KMMC (Amendment) Rules, 2013 and 2016 states that no vehicle for loading of sand , machineries other than used for loading shall be allowed within Ten Meters from the border of the river bank to ensure the river bank protection.

ESTIMATION OF MINABLE RESERVES: Reserves of river sand are estimated by volumetric method based on the cross sectional area of influence taken as thickness of the estimating block and the specific gravity of the sand. The river sediments contain about 20% of very coarse sand. Hence the recovery can be taken conservatively as 80% even though coarser sand can also used especially as filler base for road works.

The estimation of reserves has been categorized in to proved, probable and possible reserves. The data on average thickness of annually recharging layer of river sand based on realistic observations during the past five years is utilized for estimation of proved category of river sand river sand reserves.

Since the river sand is used for cement concrete Road construction purpose mixed with gravel, the coarse and small pebbles can also be used for the construction. Since the sand block location is at middle reaches and the sloe is gentle with rugged topography the sand deposition is comparatively less and mixed with pebbles of medium to coarse size, hence the recovery percentage will be taken as 60% of volume.

Estimation of Proved and Probable and Minable reserves in the River Sand Block.

Level Block Avg. Volume Volume Specific Saleable Wastage & Area M2 Thickness in M3 after Gravity Quantity 20% in Catego In M Recovery in MT ry of 80% in MT M3 Nujibalthila Block-9 Annual 50000 0.86 43000 34400 1.7 58480 14620 replenis hing *Older 50000 0.50 25000 20000 1.7 34000 8500 Sedime nts Total 368000 54400 92480 23120 *Coarse grained and pebbly grained sand portions

Below the layer of annually replenishing layer of sands, there are underlying layers of sandy sediments in the river bed ranging in thickness from 1 to 3 meters. These underlying layers have been classified as probable rivers of river sands.

Further deeper sandy sediments layers are not allowed to be mined from the river bed for the sake of environmental safeguards, hence such possible reserves have not been estimated. Various categories of reserves estimated for the river sand block under study have been tabulated.

Mineable Reserves of ordinary River Sand Nujibalthila Block.

Level & Category Block Avg. Volume Volume Specific Saleable Wastage Area Thickn in M3 after Gravity Quantity 20% in M2 ess Recovery in MT In M of 80% in MT M3 Nujibalthila Block 9 Annual 50000 0.86 43000 34400 1.7 58480 14620 replenishing Total 43000 34400 58480 14620

5. MINING / EXTRACTION OF SAND:

a. Briefly describe the existing / proposed method for developing / working the deposit with all design parameters:

The river sand resources deemed for utilization in the construction industry is being extracted from the coastal rivers since ages employing simpler 21

extraction methods based on divers assisted by country boats or rafts for manual sand collection. The traditional methods involve simplistic physical and manual labor that does not harm the natural environment.

The salient features of method of river sand extraction are:

1. The extraction and collection of sand from the river channel shall be carried out manually. 2. There is no layer of top soil in the case of river sand deposits. 3. No kind of drilling and blasting are required for the extraction and collection of sand from the river channel.

EXTRACTION OF ORDINARY SAND: The delineated river sand blocks are good deposits of ordinary sand. The sand deposition occurs every year due to erosion in the upper reaches and deposition of sediments in the middle and lower reaches. Thickness of the river sand deposition ranges from 0.50 to 1.50 meters in the coastal river channels. The earlier studies, the grain size distribution of sand in ASTM sieve sizes generally from coarse to medium with fine sand occurring in areas proximal to the estuaries. The representative chemical analysis of Dakshina Kannada river sands has been completed earlier by Dr. B. M. Ravindra, indicates that SiO2 content in these sands ranges from 78 to 86%. The high silica sands are in great demand in quality construction works.

The process of extraction of the ordinary sand is traditionally carried out in the region by scooping methods involving labors. The continuous process of accumulation of sands often leads to obstruction of free flow of river water. The extraction also helps in decongesting the sediments and smoother flow of water in the river channels especially during monsoon season.

Working Depth: The deposition of sandy sediments occur on recurrent basis in the river channel during inflow of fresh water in the river channel, depending on the sediment load carried by the flowing water. The deposition

of sand shall be more during monsoon period when the river waters charged with heavy sediment loads in suspension run in full level or flood conditions.

Non – Blasting: The river sand extraction activity does not involve any kind of blasting operations.

Labors: The average no. of labors working in the sand extraction center happens to be 5 to 10 skilled men who share the labor activities such as diving/ removing and collection of sand carrying the collected sand in head loads onto the sand stocks on the sand ports.

LODING AND TRANSPORTATION: The sand is extracted from the river bed by traditional method of scooping and gathering in baskets. The collected sand of the bucket or sand basket are poured on to the board or raft such that water portion flows back in to the river when the sand is under shallow water. The boats / rafts or head loads are carried to shore near to sand port. The sand collected in individual baskets using hand shovels. The sand collected in individual baskets shall be carried head load and dumped into the trucks for transportation.

The sand is transported to the destination in trucks of different sizes depending upon the requirement.

TONNAGE AND GRADE OF PRODUCTION: The average sand production from the sand ports ranges from 30 to 40 Metric tons per day depending on requirement. Very coarse grained sands and those containing pebbly fractions more than 25% retention in of 20 ASTM mesh size in generally require sieving before utilization in the road construction.

YEAR WISE SAND MINING DEVELOPMENT PLAN: The average annual production anticipated in the river sand blocks are about 19133 MT per year. Details of anticipated production plan from the next two years of the plan period in the sand block as shown in the table below.

ANTICIPATED AVERAGE ANNUAL PRODUCTION: The average annual production for next three years in Netravathi River bed in Nujibalthila Block-9 and is as shown below.

Category Area in Depth Volum Recov Volume Net Wasta 2 3 of M in M e M ery % after Specific Reserve ge reserves Recovery Gravity s in 20% MT MT Nujibalthila Block -9 Year 1 50000 0.40 20000 16000 27200 6800 Year 2 50000 0.40 20000 80% 16000 1.7 27200 6800

Year 3 50000 0.053 2650 2120 3600 901

Sub Total 42650 34120 58000 14501

WASTAGE: In the river sand deposits, the percentage of wastage is high mixed with medium to coarse size pebbles, the sieved material can be utilized for different sorts of construction purpose. However in case of coarse sand deposits and in present case most of the sand deposits are extracted, the wastage can be placed at 40% loss or (1:02) of produced material.

EXPECTED LIFE OF THE SAND BLOCK: The proved extractable reserves of river sand in the blocks as estimated up to a depth of 0.20 meter depth in the river bed is 47600 tons for 21 years. The amount of sand estimated for extraction during a year also happens to be the order of sand deposition that occurs annually in the middle level of west flowing rivers in the district. The range of annual deposition of sandy sediments in the middle pediment levels of the coastal rivers happens to be 0.5 to 1.5 m thick layers every year.

The annual cycle of weathering erosion fluvial transportation and deposition of sediments in the river channel is a perpetual natural process under the present environmental and geological conditions.

COST OF PRODUCTION: Based on the present cost of production by taking men and material, machinery required, power and other facilities to provide

men and material the cost of current extraction is about Rs. 6.00 to 8.00 per cubic feet at ex-sand port, excluding the cost of royalty and taxes to be paid to the Government, Transportation and delivery to the destination site.

6. ANNUAL REPLENISHMENT OF SAND:

The river sand is probably the only the renewable resource that can be classified as renewable mineral in the world. The environmental cycle of weathering, erosion, precipitation, runoff and river flow in the natural being annual cyclic phenomenon, the deposition of sand in the river bed is a recurrent feature in all active rivers. The rate of sediment deposition in the west flowing rivers like Netravathi ranges from 0.5 M in the upper reaches to 3.00 M in the lower reaches towards estuary. In the middle reaches an average annual deposition of 1.5 M sand rich sediments per can be expected.

Pros and Cons of Sand Extraction: Many people have opined reservations regarding the process of extraction process of extraction and utilization of sand resources from the river beds from viewpoint of preserving natural environment.

However, the geological studies and observations over the year in coastal river environment reveal that regular extraction of sand from the river beds, without harming its natural environments would be useful in preserving the hydrological balance as well as the regional tectonic stability.

In case the sand is not extracted on a regular basis, the repeated hights would massively increases the sediment load in the river and the accumulation of sand over the year and clog the river channels choking the natural drainage course of the rivers towards the sea. Sediment clogged river channels would increase process towards flood condition as well as erosion of river banks and river flood plains and severe sea erosion.

Coastal Karnataka is sensitive tectonic zone, where in neo tectonic crustal plate movements have repeatedly expressed in the form of a sequence of micro 25

seismic activities. In the back ground of neo tectonic sensitivity it has been found that manual and orderly extraction of annual accumulated sand would have beneficial effect on the tectonic stability of the region by decreasing the burden of sediment load. Similarly manual extraction of sand would be immensely useful in preserving the hydrological balance by allowing free flow of fluvial discharge.

Silting of Dam basins is major issue to be pondered over from the viewpoint of environmental hazards. Available data shows that in case the MRPL dam built across Netravathi near Sirapadi, the accumulation of sand silts on the river bed upstream side is about 4 to 5 meters for a distance up to 2 Km from the dam. Government of Karnataka in its KMMC (Amendment) Rules 2103 has stipulated that in the river beds 250 m on upstream and 500 M on the downstream sand should not be removed. However the massive weight of accumulation of sand and silt if not removed is going to be exerting unwarranted load on the structure of the dams that may induce seismic activities in the long course.

7. MINERAL STACKS AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE:

The stacking of mineral rejects generally does not arise in this case, since there are is no top soil cover in the river sand and deposits the question of stacking of the top soil does not arise.

The river sand extracted from the river bed is loaded directly in to the trucks parked in the sand ports on the river banks. Whenever there is less demand, surplus extraction would be stored in corner of the sand port for loading in to the trucks when demand arises.

During monsoon season the process of sand extraction from the river bed is discontinued due to deep column of standing inflow water or due to the floods or due to environmental reasons. For such inclement seasons sand is collected

and stored in yards away from the sand ports usually in open areas with easier access to roads.

8. MINOR MINERAL USE:

The river sand is an essential component in construction industry being indispensable role in the strengthening the gravel-sand-cement concrete mixtures. In concrete mixtures it provides additional coherence and consistency for the binding media. Fine sand are in high demand especially for decorative surface finishing. The quartz rich sand are more durable than other kinds of sand (basaltic trap, calcareous etc), since SiO2 is a chemically erosive resistant and durable mineral.

9. AMENITIES AND SERVICES:

The coastal reason is quite developed in terms of socio-economic infrastructure and is blessed with general amenities required for the extraction, transportation and delivery of quality grade of quartz rich river sand products.

10. EMPLOYMENT POTENTIAL:

The process of sand extraction, collection being a manually operated venture the number of labors in the mining site ranges from 3 to 20 during different seasons depending up on the work load and market demand for the building material of sand. Usually 2 to 6 sand collection boats teams may be active within a river sand block. Indirect employment includes 10 to 20 additional persons including loaders, drivers, cleaners and truck owners who depend on the sand mining for their livelihood.

Sl. No. Description No. of Posts 1 Supervisor 1 2 Skilled labors 2 3 Un skilled Labors 6 Total 9

11. MINERAL PROCESSING:

The River sand extraction as described in earlier sections is a basic manually operated venture. The river sand resources of the non-CRZ zone are free from salinity content. Lack of saline content in the sand increases the life of civil structure and the quality of construction.

The grain size distribution composition of the river sands is significant factor in the construction industry. Coarse grained sands are preferred for mixing with cement and gravel in the structural concrete, whereas the fine sand is desired for finishing works like outer surface of the structural walls.

Hence the sample process of sieving the sand using approximate sieve/ screen sizes would be useful for getting desired sand sizes preferred for demanding civil works and the quality construction applications.

PART-B 11.0 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN a. Base line Information: i. Existing land use pattern indicating the area already degraded due to quarrying, pitting/ mining, dumping, road, processing plant, workshops, township etc,. in tabular form. The objective of environmental Management Plan is to assess the environmental conditions prevailing in the river sand extraction site and find preventive measures to advert any possible adverse impact of the quarrying operations on the environment. Besides the statutory Environmental clearance from District Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) constituted by Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has been mandatory prerequisite from January 2016 for grant of quarrying permission.

Since a full pledged chapter on Environmental Management Plan has been provided in detail (Part-1) of this project, only significant aspects have been summarized here in this chapter.

Table: 2.1 Villages and population existing within 5.00 Km. radius (buffer Zone) of Nujibalthila Block-9 (As per 2011 Census). Sl. Village Direction Households Population Male Female No. 1 Nujibalthila N 759 3278 1607 1671

2 Ichlampadi NW 434 2063 1043 1020

3 Balya SW 528 2572 1299 1273

4 Renjaladi SE 396 1692 804 888

5 Kutrapadi S 959 4225 2095 2130

6 Rekyal N 830 4329 2261 2068

Total 3906 18159 9109 9050

ENVIRONMANTAL CONDITIONS OF MINING: The Karnataka Minor mineral Concession Rules (Amendment) 2013 has imposed he following environmental safeguard conditions vide. State Government Notification No. Cl 357 MMN 2012, Bangalore dated 16-12-2013.

“8V. Environmental Protection measures in River Sand quarrying: 1. For ensuring safety of river beds/its structure / adjoining areas during river sand quarrying the following measures e taken; (a). Maintain at least an unmanned block of fifty meters after every block of 1000 meters where mining is undertaken or proportionate; (b). No quarry shall be permitted in a river bed up to a distance of five times of span of a bridge on up-stream and ten times the span of such bridge on down-stream of the river, subject to a maximum of 250 meters on the upstream side and 500 meters on the downstream side. (c). The areas which are located adjoining to the village or traditionally used by the villagers shall be left and declared as no sand mining area by limiting to 250 meters length or as decided by taluk committee. (d). Sand quarrying shall be restricted to the central ¾ width of the river at the center by leaving a 1/8 margin of the river width from the river bank all along the river length of the block as buffer zone. (e). No vehicles for loading of sand , machineries other than used for loading shall be allowed within ten meters from the border of the river bank to ensure the river bank protection. (f). Suitable indigenous plant species like bellary jaly or any other variety shall be planted on specified stretch of the river bank to prevent river ingression and also to maintain river bank stability.

(g). Along with the royalty, Environment Management fee per cubic meter at the rate specified by the Government from time to time shall be collected and the same shall be credited to “Corpus fund” and shall be utilized for rehabilitation and reclamation activities. (h). The production quality shall be based on the approved quarry plan. ensure river approach channel is not obstructed and that repaired bank (i). Access routes, if they are not beneficial to the local community would need to be ploughed and re-planted with native species; (j). Close and restore river bank where access ramps have been restored, ensure river approach channel is not obstructed and that repair bank is restored to normalcy. (k). any violations observed shall be brought to the notice of District Monitoring committee along with a mahajar/ joint inspection report by the member of district monitoring committee by temporarily suspending the work by an order and be placed to further decision by the district Monitoring Committee in the matter. (l). Further the District Monitoring Committee shall review by giving an opportunity to the successful bidder and pass an order to resume the sand quarrying by allowing him to enter to rectify the mistakes or by compensating the damages. (m). The District Monitoring Committee upon hearing and based on reports may direct the concerned to restore or cancel or direct initiation of legal proceedings if any.” ENVIRONMANTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RIVER SAND EXTRACTION In case the present sand Block Nujibalthila Block 9 are no bridges involved in the 250 M proximity of the blocks. The natural flowing courses of the river are not to be blocked or diverted in any manner during the course of extraction of sand.

The following sets of pro-environmental guidelines are to be followed in order to prevent or at least to mitigate any possible environmental adverse effects that may crop up. Environmental Safeguards: Harvesting of river bed minerals and other associated activities have been considered to be the main sources of environmental degradations. Care should be taken to prevent damage of river bank due to construction of access ramps in to the river bed. Similarly care should be taken to prevent causing any kind of damage to vegetation and disturbance to ground water resources. Any act that may lead to soil erosion is to be avoided so also any possible inducement for changes in the river course to be prevented. Buffer Zone along the river banks: In order to prevent damage to the river banks in the process of sand extraction KMMC (Amendments) Rules, 2013 have been recommended that 1/8 (or 12.5%) of the river width on either river bank margin has to be left out as area of no mining. The average width of the Gundya river is about 310 M near Nujibalthila, the width measured in toposheet from 210 to 390 m in straight course. Therefore, in accordance with the recent KMMR (Amendments) 2013, the sand can be extracted only in the central 150 m wide zone, falling within the approved block, leaving out 50meters of buffer towards periphery of either river banks. Public Structure: The presents block is located about 1.5 Km. from the nearest national Highway connecting Mangalore city with Hassan. The river sand blocks are located more than 28.00 Km. away from the nearest Railway line is connecting Mangaluru and Hassan Railway stations. There are no irrigation canals or public structures or monuments in the said block/ cluster area. The open area and fields near the river bank of the river sand blocks have remained mostly as fallow lands on the way to urbanization. Sand Replenishment:

The river bed areas involved in the sand extraction during the one post monsoon season will get refilled with fresh layer of sand deposit in the following rainy season along with inflow of seasonal fluvial discharge derived from the rains and resultant of runoff along with weathered and eroded material from the catchment area. Sand Distribution: One of the positive advantages of manual sand extraction in the river beds is that with constant movement of the flow currents within the rivers and the sand extracted areas gets filled with sediments from the adjoining areas preventing formation of depressions under water in the river bed. Depth of Sand Extraction: The depth and quantity of sand extraction of sand deposits in the river beds, in the case of manual extraction by scooping using buckets or porous baskets nets is naturally restricted since they can fetch only the uppermost (replenishing) layer of sand deposited in the river bed. Transportation of Sand: The sand extracted from the river is usually wet for some time. After passage of couple of days the sands heaped as stocks gets dry. While transporting dry sands, care should be taken to cover the trucks with tarpaulin or equivalent covers such that lose dust particles emanating from the dry sands in the vehicles do not pollute the air environment along the course of its journey to the desired destinations. Existing Approach roads: Existing approach roads may be effectively made use since, most of the river sand blocks being in use since many years, have already been provided with adequate existing approach roads.

Existing sand ports and stock yards: The existing sand ports on the river banks for unloading sand from the boats should be effectively used on sharing basis, where a number of extractors work

together. Construction of new sand ports should be avoided so as to prevent unwarranted environmental degradation of land on the river banks and access routes. MITIGATION MEASURES: The mitigation measures proposed for decreasing possible land, air and water environmental degradation effects in and around the sand extraction sites are outlined here below: · There shall be no changes or alteration or blocking of flow paths in the river flow course during the extraction of sand from the river bed. · The extraction sand shall be exclusively manual in small quantities at a time such that the process would not hamper natural movement of organisms and biota within the fluvial environment. · Existing approach /accesses roads shall be utilized as for as to avoid possible damages to land environment during construction of new approaches. · New access points to the river bed if necessary shall be decided basig on at least steepness of river bank and least human activity. · New accesses roads from public roads and up to river bank if necessary shall be aligned in such a way that it would cause least environmental damage. · Haulage roads parallel to river bank and the roads connecting accesses to river bed will be made away from the bank. · Maximum number of accesses roads to river bed shall be provided for which cutting of river banks will be avoided and ramps are to be maintained. · Sand extraction pattern and schedule shall be coeval with (or Synchronized with) the river flow direction and the general gradient of the land. · Sand extraction activity shall be terminated in monsoon season and at the time of floods. · Care will be taken to ensure that ponds are not formed in the dry river bed. 34

· Planting of saplings species adaptable to the native environs as part of vegetarian development is proposed along the banks of the river and along the sides of the approach roads to arrest soil erosion and strengthening of banks as well for arresting possible emanation of air pollution in the dry season. · On unpaved approach roads water sprinkling will be done on the roads during dry season on regular basis. · Care shall be taken to prevent spillage while loading and transporting the river sands and the load carrying vehicles shall be covered with tarpaulin or other similar appropriate covering material. · During the dry season, the transporting vehicles especially in the unpaved access roads shall ply at low speeds not exceeding 25 Km. per hour so that dust from the roads fly and pollute the surrounding environment. · The lower speeds recommended for the transporting vehicles shall reduce the noise pollution from the vehicles that may possibly disturb birds, animals and people in the surrounding region. · Fortnightly scraping of the unpaved road shall b made in order to keep the roads in proper and leveled condition so as to ensure smooth flow of vehicles as well as to prevent spillage of sand en route. · Overloading shall be avoided by imparting prior awareness and admonishment. · Proper tuning of vehicles shall be ensured to keep the harmful gas emission from the vehicles within the prescribed norms.

Part: 2 B PROGRESSIVE QUARRY CLOSURE PLAN

The objectives of the Progressive Quarry closure plan is to assess the environmental friendly conditions and precautionary and preparatory measures prevailing in the river sand block for systematic closure of the site to any possible adverse impact on the sand extraction on the environment and employees. The progressive quarry closure plan is statutory requisite for the Mining Plan and the Environmental Clearance from the State / District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA/ DEIAA) of Ministry of Ecology and Forests (MoEF), for the grant of sand extraction permission by the District Sand Monitoring committee.

RIVER SAND BLOCK BOUNDARIES The Gundya Hole in Nujibalthila sand block-9 falls within the Survey India Toposheet No. 48 P/5. Summarized general information on the river sand project. Quarry Owner/ M/s. Larsen & Toubro Limited. Proponent Dakshina Kannada District

Postal Address Represented by Sri. Vadiraj B. Katti S/o. Balacharya A. Katti Chief General Manager. Office at Govinda Residency 6-81-1-2, Jacribettu Bantwal Kasaba Bantwal Taluk, Dakshina Kannada District-574211 Ph:+91 9480690200

Name of Minor Mineral Ordinary river sand Proceeding date The District Sand Monitoring Committee has allotted 5 River Sand Blocks to M/s. L & T Ltd. vide Notification No. No. DSC/DKD/R-

Sand/Work-01/2016-17 (No. GM/DK/DMG/ /- 01-2016-17 dated 16-03-2017 in Dakshina Kannada District for a period of 3 years

Aerial extent of sand 5.00 Ha. block River and title of land Gundya River bed, Government revenue land Type of Land River and river bank surrounded by lush greenery. Survey no. & Village Sy. No.72/1 Nujibalthila Village, Puttur Taluk block

SOI Top sheet 48 P/5 of 1:50000 scale District headquarters Mangaluru Nearest Airport Bajpe, Mangaluru Nearest Highway NH 75 Mangaluru to Bengaluru via. BC Road Nearest railway station Kabaka Puttur (28.00Km); Mangaluru (83.00 Km.) Category of Quarry B2 Average annual 19333 MT/ Annum production of the block/ cluster Geographic Coordinates of River Sand Block Block No. Corner Corner Longitude Latitude Point Direction Nujibalthila A South East N 120 47' 35.41” E 75 27' 28.25" Block-9 B N 12 47' 40.15" E 75 27' 27.96" C N 12 47' 45.33" E 75 27' 27.97" D N 12 47' 48.92" E 75 27' 27.20" E North East N 12 47' 55.06" E 75 27' 27.67" F North West N 12 47' 54.88" E 75 27' 24.99" G N 12 47' 48.40" E 75 27' 24.58" H N 12 47' 45.11" E 75 27' 25.33" I N 12 47' 39.12" E 75 27' 25.28" J South West N 12 47' 35.03" E 75 27' 25.58"

Topographic Layout plan of the river block area has been provided in Plate -3 Geological map and the sections of the area are shown in Plate-4. Environmental layout and buffer around River Sand Block and the cluster is presented in Plate- 5. Photographs of the quarry are shown at the end. LAND USE PATTEN: Present Land use pattern in quarrying block during the plan period. Sl. No. Particulars of the block Extent of Area Used (in Ha.) Nujibalthila Block-9 1. Mineable area 4.50 2 Buffer area/ Green belt 0.50 On the dock yard 3 Sand Storage - 4 Approach road & Parking River bank to Lease area Total Extent 5.00

REASONS FOR CLOSURE:

The objective is that the quarry is to be closed systematically after cessation of the extraction of the minor mineral. However the sandy sediment material is of recurring nature of deposition, therefore only a progressive closure of the quarry can be visualized at this juncture of development.

PROGRESSIVE QUARRY CLOSURE PLAN: It is statutory obligation on the part of the lessee to prepare and implement progressive quarry closure plan as per the prevailing rules. However, in the case of river sand deposits are exhausted after considerably long duration of years, the proponent or the incumbents designated by the proponent has to prepare for practical or progressive closure plan which include systematic stocking of minor mineral, maintenance of approach roads and rehabilitation of the workers.

REGIONAL GEOLOGY:

The south Indian cratonic block of Peninsular India consists of early Precambrian linear schist bets (Dharwar Super Group 2600-3000 Ma. Age) surrounded by Peninsular Gneiss (3000-3300 Ma. Age) and intruded by younger granites ( 2500- 2600 Ma. Age). In the southern part, exposures of the older group of Supracrustals of Sargur Type ( > 300 Ma. Age ) are surrounded and bounded by Granulites ( 2500 –2600 Ma. Age) . The Gneisses, Granites and Granulites have been traversed by numerous East-West trending set of Dolerite dykes. The Precambrian geological formations in the Karavali are covered under veneer of Laterite and alluvium.

TOPOGRAPHY & FLUVIAL GEOMORPHOLOGY: The low lying topography of the coastal terrain (Karavali) terminates in elevated Sahayadri ranges in the eastern borders of the district. The rives of the west coast of Karnataka originates in the Sahayadris (Western Ghats) at elevations exceeding on thousand meters above mean sea level and flow westerly along down the gradient course in undulating fluvial channels and ultimately join the Arabian sea. The two major rivers of n Dakshina Kannada district are Netravathi and Gurpura (Phalguni), river Kumaradhara joins Netravathi at Uppinangadi and Gundya Hole joins Kumaradhara at Balya. River Gurpura joins Netravathi river at the estuary of the later, near the coast south of Mangalore city. The other rivers in the district include Mulki (Shambavi), Pavanje (Nandini) and Payaswini.

SEDIMENTATION:

Due to Natural gradient the west flowing coastal rivers carry substantial quantities of sedimentation derived from the weathering and erosion of different rock formations in the drainage catchment area. The Western Ghats and the catchments are blessed with copious rainfall normally between the months of June to October every year. The runoff derived from the luxuriant rainfall carry lot of weathered and eroded particles from the catchment area which eventually find their way into down the gradient following the streams and rivers.

RATE OF SEDIMANTATION: 39

The rate of sedimentation in the west flowing rivers assessed by field research studies during past five years in the field ranges from 0.5 to 3 meters per year. In the initial and upper reaches of the river course of Netravathi river the rate of sedimentation is about 0.5 meters per year. In the middle reaches the sedimentation deposition ranges from 1 to 1.5 meters and along the lower reaches towards coastal estuaries it ranges’ from 2.00 to 3.00 Meters per annum.

MINEROLOGY & GRAIN SIZE DISTRIBUTION:

The sandy sediments consist of quartz, feldspar, laterite particles, fine sized rock fragments, clay fractions and organic remains. The upstream reaches contain largely of coarse sand admixed with different sizes of pebbles, whereas the grain size decreases as we go downstream towards estuaries. Thick sedimentation of fine sand can be found in estuary beds and proximal tidal reaches. Results of the representative grain size analysis of the 13 river samples collected from Netravathi river of Dakshina Kannada district is presented in the below table. In the middle and upper stretches of the coastal rivers the coarse fraction (20 size mesh ASTM) ranges from 38 to 63 from the sieve analysis.

CHEMICAL COMPOSITION:

Previous studies conducted for analysis of sands samples collected from major rivers of Dakshina Kannada District revealed that the SiO2 content ranges from 78 to 86% reflects the presence of Quartz grains derived from silica rich acidic granitic roacks, the Al2O3 content ranges from 2.6 to 8.5%, FeO ranges from 0.4 to 0.7% suggesting minor contribution from laterites. The CaO and MgO Content ranges from 1.9 to 4.1% and 0.1 to 1.7% respectively and alkalies (Na2O) from 0.5 to 1.1 and K2O from 0.7 to 1.1 suggesting contribution from the gneissic and granitic provenance rock.

RIVER SAND BLOCKS:

Details of the River sand block in Nujibalthila village State & Taluk Village Survey Area in River Sand Block District, Limit No. Ha. No. River Karnataka Puttur Nujibalthila 72/1 5.00 Nujibalthila Dakshina Block -9 Kannada Netravathi

MINEABLE RESERVES:

Details of Minable reserves in River sand blocks in the Nujibatthila Block-9 Level & Category Block Avg. Volume Volume Specific Saleable Wastage Area Thickn in M3 after Gravity Quantity 20% in M2 ess Recovery in MT In M of 80% in MT M3 Kadeshvalya Block 9 Annual 50000 0.86 43000 34400 1.7 58480 14620 replenishing Total 43000 34400 58480 14620

EXTRACTION OF ORDINARY SAND

The delineated river sand blocks good deposits of ordinary sand. The sand deposition occurs every year due to erosion in the upper reaches and deposition of sediments in the middle and lower reaches. Thickness of the river sand deposition ranges from 0.50 to 1.50 meters in the coastal river channels. From the earlier studies the grain size distribution of sand in ASTM sieve, generally from coarse to medium with fine sand occurring in areas proximal to the estuaries. The representative chemical analysis of Dakshina Kannada river sands has been taken from earlier studies by Dr. B. M. Ravindra, indicates that SiO2 content in these sands ranges from 78 to 86%. The high silica sands are in great demand in quality construction works.

IMPLEMENTATION OF QUARRY PLAN:

The process of extraction of the ordinary sand is traditionally carried out in the region by manual methods involving labors skilled in collection of sand. The continuous process of accumulation of sands often leads to obstruction of free flow of river water. The extraction also helps in decongesting the sediments and smoother flow of water in the river channels especially during monsoon season.

It is obligatory on the part of river sand extractors permitted by the proponent to implement th Quarry Plan and progressive closure in totally. For any deviations or specific changes the proponent has to approach the authorities of Department of Mines and Geology and District Sand Monitoring Committee.

ENVIRINMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

Harvesting of river channel minerals and other associated activities have been considered to be the main sources of environmental degradation. Care should be taken to prevent damage of river bank due to construction of access ramps in to the river channel. Similarly care should taken to prevent causing any kind of damage to vegetation and disturbance to ground water resources. Any act that may led to soil erosion is to be avoided so also any possible inducement for changes in the river course is to be prevented. The mitigation measures proposed for decreasing possible land, air and water environmental degradation effects in and around the sand extraction sites are outlined here below: · There shall be no changes or alteration or blocking of flow paths in the river flow course during the extraction of sand from the river bed. · The extraction sand shall be exclusively manual in small quantities at a time such that the process would not hamper natural movement of organisms and biota within the fluvial environment.

· Existing approach /accesses roads shall be utilized as far as to avoid possible damages to land environment during construction of new approaches. · New access points to the river bed if necessary shall be decided based on at least steepness of river bank and least human activity. · New accesses roads from public roads and up to river bank if necessary shall be aligned in such a way that it would cause least environmental damage. · Haulage roads parallel to river bank and the roads connecting accesses to river bed will be made away from the bank. · Maximum number of accesses roads to river bed shall be provided for which cutting of river banks will be avoided and ramps are to be maintained. · Sand extraction pattern and schedule shall be coeval with (or Synchronized with) the river flow direction and the general gradient of the land. · Sand extraction activity shall be terminated in monsoon season and at the time of floods. · Care will be taken to ensure that ponds are not formed in the dry river bed. · Planting of saplings species adaptable to the native environs as part of vegetarian development is proposed along the banks of the river and along the sides of the approach roads to arrest soil erosion and strengthening of banks as well for arresting possible emanation of air pollution in the dry season. · On unpaved approach roads water sprinkling will be done on the roads during dry season on regular basis. · Care shall be taken to prevent spillage while loading and transporting the river sands and the load carrying vehicles shall be covered with tarpaulin or other similar appropriate covering material.

· During the dry season, the transporting vehicles especially in the unpaved access roads shall ply at low speeds not exceeding 25 Km. per hour so that dust from the roads fly and pollute the surrounding environment. · The lower speeds recommended for the transporting vehicles shall reduce the noise pollution from the vehicles that may possibly disturb birds, animals and people in the surrounding region. · Fortnightly scraping of the unpaved road shall b made in order to keep the roads in proper and leveled condition so as to ensure smooth flow of vehicles as well as to prevent spillage of sand en route. · Overloading shall be avoided by imparting prior awareness and admonishment. · Proper tuning of vehicles shall be ensured to keep the harmful gas emission from the vehicles within the prescribed norms.

TOP SOIL MANAGEMENT:

There is no top soil layer existing in the river sand bed.

DISPOSAL OF QUARRYING EQUIPMENTS & MACHINERY:

The river sand extraction being a manually operated process, the equipment and the machinery involved is limited to sand collection boats with or without mechanical loaders and transporting vehicles. The equipments involved in the sand extraction process can be disposed off during the progressive closure plan.

SECURITY & DISASTER MANAGEMENT: The Lessee has to personally supervise the river sand extraction operations and takes every care of the safety and security of the labors involved. The careful and skillful operations, reduces the possibility of any disaster and risk to the lives of labors.

Photographs of the Lease Area Sand Exposure Near Nujibalthila Village in Survey No. 72/1 (View 1)

Sand Exposures Near Nujibalthila Village at Survey No. 72/1 (View 2)

Sand Exposures Near Nujibalthila Village at Survey No.72/1