Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016.

The main objectives of these Guidelines include environmentally sustainable and socially responsible mining; conservation of the river equilibrium and its natural environment by protection and restoration of the ecological system; avoiding pollution of river water; and prevention of depletion of ground water reserves. The Guidelines explain the deleterious impacts of indiscrete mining and provides the guidelines for sustainable sand and gravel mining. It lays down the structure of district survey report and provides recommendations for river bed mining, off-channel or floodplain extraction, extraction methods and reclamation plans. It highlights the impact of marine sand mining on marine biodiversity. It also discusses the legal regime relating to mining of minor minerals. The Guidelines talk about management of mining in cluster and post-flood sand deposits on agricultural field of farmers. It lays down the standard environmental conditions for sand mining and the procedure for monitoring system for sustainable sand mining.