My Town Suffers as Sand Mining Pollutes Rohtas, Govt is Of No Help

On the railway overbridge in Dehri-on-Sone, sand is deposited on both sides.

Trucks transporting sand extracted from the banks of Sone River in Bihar’s Dalmianagar worries residents.

(Photo: The Quint/Arnica Kala)

Video Editor: Rahul Sanpui
Video Producer: Maaz Hasan

Trucks transporting sand extracted from the banks of Sone River in Bihar's Rohtas district is causing safety and health concerns for residents of Dalmianagar. The bridge which connects one town to another is filled with sand deposit on either side of the road. Due to this, there is increased air pollution and problems while driving.

If one stands on the railway overbridge, which is in Dehri-on-Sone, it can be seen that sand has been deposited on both sides. It is caused by the tractors or trucks carrying sand.

“Sometimes, it (sand) falls so much that we only see dust around us. All my vegetables get covered with layers of dust. I think, we should be wearing masks all the time. Many times, the highway is jammed. Here too, near the bridge, there is a large deposit of sand.”

Bunty Kumar, Local Vegetable Seller

(Photo Courtesy: Piyush Priyadarshi)

The bridge has become accident-prone because overloaded trucks travel via this road and transport sand to other places. The dust even soils our clothes. There is so much dust in the air that I am very scared to drive.

(Photo Courtesy: Piyush Priyadarshi)

(Photo Courtesy: Piyush Priyadarshi)

(Photo Courtesy: Piyush Priyadarshi)

(Photo Courtesy: Piyush Priyadarshi)

At times, the street lights are non-operational, and visibility becomes very low in the evening. When people raise their voice against pollution, the bridge gets cleaned but after some time, it turns into what it was. Tractors operate during the day and continue to move unofficially despite orders given by the administration otherwise.

“The municipality of Dehri is nearby. They should clean the road every week, so that cleanliness is maintained and nobody faces issues. The sand deposit on the road leads to accidents. Our MLA, Fateh Bahadur Singh, should think about the cleanliness so that we can stay clean and healthy.”

Bunty Kumar, Vegetable Seller

Officials’ Response to The Quint

Sushil Kumar, Executive Officer of the Dehri Municipality, told The Quint that transportation of sand and consequent deposition is under the jurisdiction of the mining department.

"We have raised the issue with the District Magistrate. We keep writing to the government regarding the transportation of sand which shouldn't be allowed in the municipal area,” he added.

Mohammad Ziauddin, Executive Engineer of the Road Construction Department, further said:

“We do clean the road every two weeks or once a month, but the sand deposits are very frequent. We requested the Nagar Parishad to help clean the road daily, but it’s important that the mining department ensures trucks and tractors don’t transport sand with uncovered tops.”

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