Illegal Riverbed Mining Takes A Toll On Livelihoods In Kashmir

Last year in September, it rained heavily, leaving the residents of a small village in the Sogam area of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district, despondent. A stream known by the name of Doodhganga, which had seen heavy machinery and large vehicles drive into it to extract the gravel and boulders for several years, swelled and washed down several acres of farm land. The edges of the orchard land on both sides of the river were torn down, apple trees were uprooted, and an irrigation canal clogged, which has left farmers uncertain on whether they can grow paddy now.

In Sogam, relentless riverbed mining has left farmers with heavy losses. But this is not the only place that has borne the brunt. Across Kashmir, illegal riverbed mining and the extraction of soil from government land have been common. Local residents have blamed the poor vigilance by the authorities for the “wanton loot of Kashmir’s resources.”

Last month, only a few kilometres away from Sogam in the Pallar area of Budgam, police seized several vehicles for “unauthorised mineral extraction”. “The enforcement teams specifically targeted heavy machinery and vehicles allegedly involved in mining activities conducted in violation of established regulations,” police said. In November 2025, raids were conducted by police in various areas of Central Kashmir, and several people were arrested, and many vehicles were seized for illegal mining.

On the land on which people would grow vegetables in Sogam, young boys played cricket now, as the Doodhganga stream has become shallow. Qaiser Ahmad, 27, has to do plumbing for a living after the mining in Doodhganga washed away the family's land. “We are not sure that we would be able to grow paddy this year as the irrigation canal has been blocked due to silt brought by heavy currents of water after excessive mining,” he says.

Residents of the nearby village of Badi pora also lost their land due to illegal mining. Auqib Amin, a local resident, says that they lost over 6 kanals of land, which were washed away after excessive extraction of gravel from the Doodhganga weakened the banks of the stream. “There were some 100 apple trees that were washed away. The trees were planted several years back, and we would harvest some 500 boxes of apples annually. It is all due to the rampant mining. Heavy machines dug over 40 feet deep, and when it rained last year, it brought down heavy slush, which was dumped at the shallow site of the stream, which had seen heavy digging and resulted in the damage,” he says.

Arif Dangroo, a Badi pora resident, says that the people have been scooping out the gravel from the stream at several sites even during the day time. “This has been continuing for a long time,” he says.

Environmental concerns

Illegal riverbed mining and the extraction of clay and sand has also been brought to the notice of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), while environmental activists have also sounded an alarm over the impact that it leaves.

Activist Raja Muzafar Bhat, who has campaigned against the rampant illegal riverbed mining, says that it was going on in South Kashmir’s Shopian, while the loads of soil were also extracted from the government land and sold for construction purposes. “This is a disaster we are leaving behind. This is also giving a loss to the government exchequer as people are not paying for extraction,” he says.

On the application that was filed by Bhat before the National Green Tribunal (NGT), alleging “illegal mining of sand and clay” the Tribunal noted, “We are of the considered view that it is highly necessary to have an effective framework of mining plan which will take care of all environmental issues and also evolve a long-term rational and sustainable use of natural resource base and also the bio-assessment protocol.” Bhat’s application mentioned that “illegal earth mining comprising of sand and clay is in progress from local Karewa land (small hills/massive plateaus), in an area of more than 65 acres situated at village Zadoora district Pulwama and around 60 acres of land in Rangeen Kultreh area of Chandoora tehsil of district Budgam,”

“Sand mining, it may be noted, may have an adverse effect on biodiversity as loss of habitat caused by sand mining will affect various species, flora, and fauna, and it may also destabilise the soil structure of river banks and often leaves isolated islands,” NGT said.

State action

Joint Director Geology and Mining, Raj Kumar, however, says that the enforcement has been stepped up to ensure that illegal mining was curbed in Kashmir. “Our mineral officers have launched joint drives in collaboration with the district administration to check illegal mining,” he says.

Arif Ahmad, a local resident of Chadoora, says that illegal mining has continued along several kilometers of the Doodhganga stream, and the digging has been carried out beyond the permissible limit. “Several villages are affected due to the illegal mining, and the livelihood of the people is also at stake,” he says.