Betwa River is dying due to Sands Mafia

Betwa River is dying due to Sands Mafia

The Betwa river, considered the lifeline of Bundelkhand, is dying a slow death these days as the sand mafia has plundered it in the region where the illegal sand mining business is worth Rs. 10,000 crore per annum.

The perennial river that flows from the Vindhyan range was once the home of a variety of aquatic fauna.

Agriculture and fishing culture flourished in its river basin area.

Now, the 358-kilometre stretch of the river flowing through Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun and Hamirpur is fast turning into a barren area as earthmovers extract sand from the riverbed.

Septuagenarian Bharat Dharaupur, a native of Jalalpur village, says a decade back the Betwa was the home of crocodiles, Gangetic dolphins and otters, but now these species are hardly seen in the area.

“I last saw a gharial two years back,” he says and blames the rampant sand mining for the extinction of the crocodile and the dolphin here. It’s the quality of the sand that is drawing the sand mafia from various corners of UP to Betwa, says Suraj Bundela, a resident of Lalitpur.

The Betwa carries heavy granules that are useful in building as well as road construction.

It is because of their high value that there have been clashes between the mafia supported by the politicians to grab mining contracts, he says.

The sand of the Ganga and the Yamuna is light in comparison.

Trucks and machines are a common sight as one moves along the riverbank in Lalitpur, Jhansi, Jalaun and Hamirpur.