SOCIOECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF INDISCRIMINATE SAND MINING IN TAMIL NADU WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO VAIGAI RIVER BASIN (Pages 118-126) by Mr. T. Dharmaraj* and Dr. G. Jeyachadran** in THE INTERNATIONAL MANAGER / ISSN: 2348-9413 (Online); 2348-9405 (Print)

Sand mining has an adverse and destructive impact on social and environmental. It has crippled the river ecology and depleted ground water table resulting in a desertification process in and around the mining areas. It has affected the stability of river banks leading to loss of whole chunks of land and making large area flood prone. Drain channels to lakes, ponds, tank irrigation are blocked since there is no more water. The riverbed goes down far below the receive channel, which is the main cause of water crisis. The portable nature of available drinking water is affected as the sweet water aquifers (recharge and purifier) are destroyed by sand quarrying. Sand mining generates extra vehicle traffic, which negatively impairs the environment. Where access roads cross riparian areas, the local environment may be impacted. The complete removal of vegetation and destruction of the soil profile destroys habitat above and below the ground as well as within the aquatic ecosystem, resulting in the reduction in faunal populations. The Vaigai is 258 kilometers (160mi) long, with a drainage basin 7,031 square kilometers (2,715 square miles) large. It falls within the co-ordinates of Latitude 7o21’00’’ North and Longitude 79o00’00’’east.Therefore, there is a need for to assess the extent of damage done by indiscriminate sand mining to the environment and its implications for the life of the local people. In this context, the present study has been made an attempt to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impacts of sand mining from the instream and floodplain areas of the Vaigai River basin. Keyword: river basin, sand mining, ecosystem, environment, water, drain etc.