No viable alternative to river sand yet
For an individual constructing a house or a commercial building, the biggest worry is the availability of sand. Citing scarcity as the reason, sand is sold at an exorbitant price and transported in odd hours, either early in the morning or late in the night. Since only contractors and builders are in touch with the suppliers of sand, individuals investing money in construction would never come to know about the actual availability, price and quality of sand. According to the Department of Mines and Geology, there is no scarcity of sand in the state. “I have not come across any complaint from anyone about the shortage of sand. Public Works Department has never complained of sand shortage in the state. The only problem is with the transportation of sand. Since construction activity is increasing, the sand is supplied on a priority basis. We have been conducting frequent raids to regulate illegal sand mining,’’ says N S Prasanna Kumar, director of the department. In an effort to reduce the environmental damage and simultaneously meet the increasing demand for sand, the state government is promoting M-Sand (manufactured sand). According to Economic Survey of Karnataka (2017-18) tabled before the assembly, the state claimed that various programmes are being held to bring public awareness on the usage of M-sand. “To maintain the ecological balance and reduce the adverse effect on groundwater, the government has taken measures to initiate M-Sand production and use it as an alternative to river sand. M- Sand is produced in 18 districts and during 2017-18, the annual target of M-Sand production was 30 million metric tonnes,’’ an official said.
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