Morang panel set to impose ban on haphazard extraction of sand, pebbles from three streams

The local units, however, claim there is no threat on environment and human settlements as the amount ofsand and pebbles extracted from those streams was less than the quantity approved for this year. Morang panel set to impose ban on haphazard extraction of sand, pebbles from three streams

Trucks carry sand and pebbles extracted from the banks of Chisang stream in Letang Municipality, Morang. Post Photo: Binu Timsina

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Binu Timsina

Published at : July 7, 2019

Updated at : July 7, 2019 09:37

Biratnagar

Following criticism from various quarters, the District Coordination Committee (DCC) in Morang is finally preparing to impose a ban over haphazard extraction of sand and pebble from three streams.

The committee is planning to ban the mining of sand, pebbles and boulders from Mawa stream on the border between Morang and Jhapa, Chisang stream in Letang Municipality and Gachhiya stream in Sundarharaicha Municipality from the upcoming fiscal year.

Naresh Pokharel, the committee chief, said they decided to protect the streams as they had been exploited for years.

According to him, the committee is planning to impose restrictions on mining sand and pebbles for a year.

The local people have long been demanding a stop to haphazard mining in the stream. They claimed the streams were exploited leaving the nearby settlements at high risk of floods and inundation. The sand, pebbles and boulders supplied in Morang, Sunsari and Jhapa districts have been mainly extracted from these streams.

Following the complaints from the locals, the committee recently monitored the sand and pebble extraction in the streams. “It has been found that Chisang, Gachhiya and Mawa streams have been exploited beyond their bearing capacity. There will be no river products like sand and pebbles unless the water flow deposit in this monsoon,” he added.

The local units, however, claim that the amount of sand and pebbles extracted from those streams was less than the quantity approved for this year and there is no threat on environment and human settlements. “The extraction of sand, pebbles and boulders from the rivers and streams is under the jurisdiction of the local body. So, nobody can impose a ban on the use of river products,” claimed Shankar Rai, mayor of Letang Municipality.

The municipality is planning to collect revenue by awarding the contractors to extract sand and pebbles. As per the committee records, around 3.7 million cubic metres of sand, pebbles and boulders have been extracted from various rivers and streams in Morang this year. The local bodies collected approximately Rs400 million in revenue.