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Illegal sand mining along the Kosi River in Uttarakhand’s Bazpur tehsil recently drew the ire of the state’s high court, which on May 23, 2025 directed police and mining officials to halt quarrying activities at Manki Ghat Gaughat. Pictures taken by Down To Earth’s Vikas Choudhary in April 2025 show mining in Kosi’s riverbed.
A public interest petition filed by residents alleges that the mining, which takes place at night inside a reserved forest has gone beyond damaging the riverine ecosystem — it has also provoked violence, with forest officials reportedly attacked by the mining mafia.
The unchecked extraction threatens nearby villages and farmland, especially during monsoon floods. Despite its ecological and economic value, sand remains a ‘minor mineral’ under Indian law, leaving regulatory gaps that fuel rampant exploitation, DTE reported in 2022.
In the report, experts warned that India’s insatiable demand for sand, estimated at 700 million tonnes in 2017 and rising, has made riverbeds like Kosi hotspots for unregulated mining. Environmental advocates called for sand to be reclassified as a major mineral to stem the growing crisis.