The Uttarakhand High Court has prohibited the use of heavy machinery for mining in the Suswa and Song rivers in Dehradun district.
This directive was issued by a division bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Tiwari and Justice Vivek Bharti Sharma while hearing a public interest litigation on Thursday.
However, the court clarified that manual mining in these rivers will be allowed to continue. Additionally, the court has asked the state government to respond to the matter within four weeks.
The PIL, filed by Dehradun resident Virender Kumar, raised concerns over the environmental impact of heavy machine mining. It argued that the practice had led to a reduction in the water levels of both rivers, which in turn affected agricultural land and reduced water availability for irrigation in surrounding areas.
Furthermore, the petition claimed that mechanical mining had left local communities without work, as they had relied on manual mining for their livelihoods.
In its defense, the state government argued that the permission for heavy machine mining was granted to remove large accumulations of silt, sludge, and boulders in the riverbed, particularly during the monsoon season, as these block the rivers’ flow.
The court’s decision to halt heavy machine mining reflects growing concerns over the environmental and social consequences of such activities, while it continues to allow manual mining, which has been a traditional practice in the region.
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