[Reader-list] Concern over move for deep sea sand-mining

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  Today's Paper » NATIONAL » KERALA
 Thiruvananthapuram, November 13, 2011
Concern over move for deep sea sand-mining

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/article2623695.ece
  T. Nandakumar
Eco activists, fisherfolk say it will threaten livelihood

A proposal mooted by the State government for deep sea sand-mining has
triggered protest from traditional fishermen and concern among marine
scientists and environmentalists.

It was at a workshop on Kerala's approach paper to the 12th Five Year Plan
held here on Wednesday that Finance Minister K.M. Mani came up with the
proposal. Addressing the workshop, he said it was not difficult for the
Kerala economy to achieve a 10 per cent growth rate, provided it was able
to mobilise revenue from non-conventional sources such as offshore mining
of sand.

Scientists fear that the environmental impact of such a project will be
disastrous, while fishworkers see it as a direct threat to their
livelihood.

In 2002, the then government backed off from implementing a similar project
following stiff resistance by environmentalists and fisherfolk. A
Bahrain-based company that had submitted the project had claimed to have
located a huge offshore deposit of construction- quality sand amounting to
four billion tonnes at a depth of 30 to 40 metres.

The government had held out the project as a viable option to resolve the
acute scarcity of river sand for the construction industry. This time
however, it is being projected as an alternative revenue source.

K. Venkataraman, Director, Zoological Survey of India, said large-scale
dredging for sand in the sea could lead to turbidity and movement of silt,
affecting marine life in the biodiversity rich areas off the State's coast.

“The silt could move in different directions, affecting the natural habitat
of several species. It could also enrich the nutrient content in seawater,
triggering algal blooms that are harmful to fish. Dredging has the
potential to change the contours of the sea bed,” he told *The Hindu* over
telephone from his office in Kolkata.

A marine biologist, Dr.Venkataraman said dredging could also affect the
long-shore drift along the Kerala coast, leading to a further decline in
fish stocks and affecting the livelihood of the fisherfolk community. Using
suction pumps for controlled dredging would not alleviate the problem of
turbulence, he said.

*Accelerated erosion*

Dr. Venkataraman said tampering with the steep slopes of the continental
shelf off the State's coast could alter the underwater topography, leading
to accelerated coastal erosion and other unforeseen consequences. The
absence of a monitoring and regulatory mechanism for offshore sand-mining
could encourage violation of environmental safeguards for more profitable
operations, he said.

Traditional fishermen fear deep-sea mining would deplete the dwindling fish
stocks and jeopardise the livelihood of 10 lakh fish workers in the State.
T. Peter, president of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation,
said: “We will oppose the project tooth and nail.” He warned that fishermen
would use their boats and catamarans to blockade dredgers. “Indonesia paid
a heavy price for deep sea sand-mining to reclaim land for the Singapore
airport. That experience should be taken as a warning against tampering
with the marine ecosystem.”

Renjan Varghese Mathew, State director, WWF-India, said deep sea
sand-mining was a very technology intensive process that could cause a
negative impact on the marine ecosystem.

“It could destroy the spawning grounds of fishes and other marine
organisms, triggering an effect down the food chain. Removal of the top
soil could also ravage the marine ecology.”

Vinod Malayilethu, coordinator, marine programme, WWF-India said, “Sucking
up the sand from the seabed is likely to release poisonous gases such as
hydrogen sulphide and heavy metals. Also, the suspended silt will be
deposited on corals and sponges, destroying them.”

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Movement of silt could affect marine life
Fishermen threaten to blockade dredgers