The Save Alappad, Stop Mining campaign is a prominent environmental and social protest movement centered in the coastal village of Alappad, Kollam district, Kerala, India. The movement is aimed at demanding a complete halt to the decades-long heavy mineral sand mining activities carried out by two public sector undertakings, citing severe coastal erosion, environmental damage, and the risk of complete displacement of the local population.[1][2]
Mining for heavy minerals like ilmenite, rutile, zircon and monazite in the Chavara-Neendakara-Kayamkulam coastal stretch began as early as the 1920s.[3][1] This mineral-rich sand belt is estimated to contain vast reserves of heavy minerals.[3]
The mining operations in Alappad are primarily conducted by two government-owned companies:
The continuous mining activities have led to severe ecological, social and geographical consequences in the Alappad region.
Land loss and coastal erosion
Activists assert that Alappad village has shrunk dramatically due to mining-induced erosion.[2]
According to lithographic maps, the area of Alappad Panchayath, which was approximately 89.5 square kilometres in 1955, had reportedly shrunk to a mere 7.6 to 8 square kilometres by 2017.[6][2][1]
Villages like Panmana have reportedly vanished, turning into heaps of sand, and houses that were once kilometres inland are now close to the sea.[7][2][1]
The narrow strip of land separating the Arabian Sea and the T. S. Canal (National Waterway No. 3) is now critically thin in some places, raising fears that a breach could flood the entire area and turn the backwaters saline.[6][2]
Social and economic displacement
The erosion and environmental degradation have directly impacted the local population, primarily comprising traditional fishing families.[3]
It is estimated that more than 6,000 fishermen families have vacated the area over the years due to land loss, lack of fish availability and scarcity of drinking water.[7][1]
Saline water intrusion has made the land unfit for cultivation, impacting traditional livelihoods.[3]
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