Sand mining and ecological collapse: What Aravalli teaches us about saving Narmada

By Raj Kumar Sinha* 

It is extremely important to understand the problem of sand mining in the Narmada River in the light of the experience of mining in the Aravalli mountain range, because the Aravalli today stands before us as a warning. In both cases, the same mistake is being repeated with nature—ecological suicide in the name of “development.” 

The Aravalli range is one of the oldest mountain systems in the world. Its functions include groundwater recharge, prevention of desertification, conservation of biodiversity, and maintenance of local climatic balance. However, illegal and indiscriminate mining has almost destroyed it.

Mining in the Aravalli has led to a sharp decline in groundwater levels, dust and pollution causing respiratory diseases, migration of wildlife, expansion of desertification, and the flattening of natural hills. The same story is now being repeated in the Narmada through sand mining. Sand is the backbone of a river; it stabilizes the riverbed and is crucial for aquatic habitats and groundwater recharge. But when sand is extracted mechanically, the very soul of the river is destroyed. Unregulated and illegal sand mining in the Narmada River is causing severe damage to its ecosystem. 

Its major impacts include erosion of the riverbed, falling groundwater levels, destruction of habitats of aquatic life (especially the mahseer fish), threats to the livelihoods of fishermen, and an increased risk of floods due to silt accumulation in rivers. Illegal mining is altering the river’s natural flow and the shape of its bed. Erosion of the riverbed is lowering water levels. As the river’s water level declines, groundwater levels in surrounding areas are also falling, leading to drought-like conditions.

A comparison of the impacts of sand mining in the Narmada with mining in the Aravalli shows that while mining hollowed out the mountains in the Aravalli, sand mining has deepened the riverbed of the Narmada. When water sources dried up in the Aravalli, wells and handpumps along the Narmada also ran dry. 

As desertification increased in the Aravalli, riverbank erosion intensified along the Narmada. When wildlife came under threat in the Aravalli, fish and turtles were destroyed in the Narmada. When the livelihoods of local farmers and pastoralists collapsed in the Aravalli, fishermen and farmers are now being affected along the Narmada. The only difference is this: in the Aravalli, the mountains died; in the Narmada, the river is dying.

In addition to mining, the obstruction of the Narmada’s flow by dams and increasing pollution are worsening the situation. Sand mining multiplies this crisis threefold. Dams trap silt, and sand mining prevents the river from replenishing itself. As a result, the river is becoming permanently weakened. 

The National Green Tribunal has banned machine-based mining from riverbeds, the Supreme Court has made environmental clearance mandatory, and mining rules allow only limited and regulated extraction. Yet the reality is that sand mining is being carried out at night using JCBs and poclains. Administrative silence and local protests are being ignored—just as happened in the Aravalli for decades.

If we do not learn from the Aravalli, the Narmada valley will face a severe water crisis, deep impacts on agriculture, damage to religious and cultural faith, increased intensity of floods and erosion, and the impossibility of river rejuvenation in the future. Therefore, we must use the Aravalli as a mirror to save the Narmada. 

The Narmada is not just a river; it is life-giving, a cultural heritage, and the water lifeline of central India. If sand mining is not stopped today, future generations will know the Narmada only through books and pictures—just as has happened with the Aravalli.

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*Bargi Dam Displaced and Affected Association