The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) recently made headlines when it acceded to the Ministry of Mines (MoM)’s request. The appeal was to halt the granting of clearances to private firms for beach sand minerals mining, which primarily includes rare earth minerals.
Rare Earth Minerals and their Significance
Rare earths denote a group of chemical elements embedded in the Earth’s crust, playing crucial roles in the construction of many cutting-edge technologies. These span a wide array of sectors from consumer electronics, computers, and networks to communications, clean energy, advanced transportation, health care, environmental mitigation, and national defense.
These elements boast of distinctive magnetic, luminescent, and electrochemical characteristics, enabling technological devices to function more efficiently with reduced weight and emissions and lower energy consumption. They also enhance various aspects like performance, miniaturization, speed, durability, and thermal stability. Monazite, a primary ore for thorium, a nuclear fuel, is another significant beach sand mineral.
Mining Rules for Atomic Minerals
According to the Atomic Minerals Concession Rules, 2016, State Governments could grant mineral concessions to the private sector through auctions or competitive bidding, provided Monazite’s presence is less than the specified threshold values (00.75%).
However, an amendment to these rules lowered the threshold limit to 0%. Given that Monazite is present in varying concentrations on all beaches, this modification effectively translates into a ban on private companies’ mining activities.
Impacts of Beach Sand Mining
Beach sand mining has profound impacts on both nature and economy. It leads to the destruction of natural beaches and ecosystems they safeguard, such as dunes and wetlands. It also causes habitat loss for globally important species including turtles and shorebirds and destructs nearshore marine ecosystems. Additionally, it escalates shoreline erosion rates and reduces protection against storms, tsunamis, and wave events. Economically, it leads to losses owing to tourists avoiding such regions and the degradation of coastal aesthetics.
Table of Impacts
| Environmental Impact | Economic Impact |
|---|---|
| Destruction of natural beaches and ecosystems | Economic losses from tourist abandonment |
| Habitat loss for important species | Loss of coastal aesthetics |
| Destruction of nearshore marine ecosystems | |
| Increased shoreline erosion rates | |
| Reduced protection from natural calamities |
Mining Industry Regulations
The mining industry falls under both state and central jurisdictions. State governments exercise the authority to regulate mines and mineral development in alignment with federal laws concerning mining. Minerals are divided into two categories – major and minor. The exploration, extraction, and processing of all minor minerals, such as building stones, clay, and sand, fall under the state’s purview.
Conversely, the Central government handles everything related to major minerals, including revision, fixing of royalty, issuing regulations, etc. Metallic minerals majorly fall into this category. The Central government also owns all offshore minerals, i.e., those extracted from the sea or ocean floor in Indian maritime zones, and has the right to grant concessions and collect royalties for their mining.
