"Villages Celebrate Victory Over Illegal Sand Mining", 27 July 2022

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India’s National Green Tribunal (NGT) halted illegal sand mining in the villages of Tondavali and Talashil in Maharashtra State, on India’s west coast. The villages, squeezed between the Gad River and the Arabian Sea, suffer from soil erosion caused by illegal sand mining in the Gad River, and salt water intrusion from rising seas.

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Sand mining and rising seas have whittled parts of the village to 50-70 meters at some places, and damaged an embankment made to protect the village. Sand mining is also impacting the aquatic and marine environment, causing salt water to contaminate village drinking water.

Around 1,000 people live in the area and most are dependent on fishing for their livelihoods.

In addition to ordering the companies to stop the illegal mining, the NGT demanded that the responsible parties conduct a hydrological study, protect fishing sites from sand mining, and reinforce the embankment.