Endangered Paradise under Siege: National Chambal Sanctuary

The National Chambal Sanctuary, famous for its endangered species, is at risk from illegal sand mining, which causes damage to its ecosystem and the endangered flora and fauna. The Chambal Sanctuary is considered a fragile lotic ecosystem, straddles the three states, and is the only tri-state protected area. It is located in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan tri-junction.

The increment in illegal sand mining has caused a massive impact on the ecosystem and endangered wildlife of the region. The Chambal River, which attains the glory of being one of the cleanest rivers, gives shelter to several endangered species, such as alligators (gharial), Gangetic dolphins, and turtles, and is on the verge of losing its eminence. The illegal sand mining has led to the migration of alligators to other rivers, such as Kuno and Parvati, which are the tributaries of the Chambal River.

According to the forest department data, the gharial population in Chambal River had fallen to 1,255 in 2017 from about 1,800 in 2015. For the 2019 census, the department also decided to include the Parbati River; therefore, the number of gharials in the Chambal River basin increased to 1,681. When sand is mined from the river, it leads to the depletion of the groundwater in the region and erosion of the river, which causes the change of the river course. The rise of the region's sand mafia has become a menace to the ecology.

To address this problem, a high-level conference of the chief secretaries of the three states was convened at Jaipur in March 2023, where they discussed concerted actions for safeguarding the Sanctuary. Chief Secretary of Rajasthan Usha Sharma said the Forest and Mineral Departments, along with the district administration and police across the three States are needed to work in close cooperation in order to put an end to the illegal mining. Principal Secretaries Iqbal Singh Bains of Madhya Pradesh and Durga Shankar Mishra of Uttar Pradesh attended the meeting through video conference.

Mrs. Sharma said a prompt exchange of information between officials would stop mining of minerals, and a manual inspection of places that are vulnerable could stop entry by those with insecure credentials.

The Sanctuary is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and is listed as a Biodiversity Area. Thus, the state government must preserve its indigenous nature, and it's also the state's responsibility to regulate sand mining and prohibit any type of encroachment of the river's land and illegal sand mining.

While the state fails to cater to the needs of the indigenous species of Chambal, it reminds us of a time when many ferocious dacoits ruled the Chambal ravines in all their bandit glory. Believe it or not, the bandits were considered the unsaid deity who protected the valley from the settlement of exploiters. Due to the fear of their presence, no one tried to go near the valley. They protected it in every way — they abstained from fishing, poaching of endangered species and illegal sand mining.

The notorious Chambal sand mafia, if not tackled by the authorities, will lead to further exploitation of natural resources as well as the erosion of indigenous species in the region.