Sand Mining: Environmental Impacts And Selected Case Studies

Environmental Science and Engineering D. Padmalal K. Maya Sand Mining Environmental Impacts and Selected Case Studies Environmental Science and Engineering Series editors Ulrich Förstner, Hamburg, Germany Wim Salomons, Haren, The Netherlands Rod Allan, Burlington, ON, Canada W.H. Rulkens, Wageningen, The Netherlands For further volumes: http://www.springer.com/series/7487 D. Padmalal K. Maya • Sand Mining Environmental Impacts and Selected Case Studies 123 D. Padmalal K. Maya Centre for Earth Science Studies Thiruvananthapuram Kerala India ISSN 1863-5520 ISSN 1863-5539 (electronic) ISBN 978-94-017-9143-4 ISBN 978-94-017-9144-1 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9144-1 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2014940322  Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publisher’s location, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Preface Expanding human requirements and economic developments impose ever increasing pressure on the natural resource base. Advances in ecological and environmental studies reveal the imminent need for delimiting human aspirations and requirements within the barest minimum levels in order to achieve sustainability in developmental process. For centuries, humans have been enjoying the natural benefits provided by rivers without understanding much on how the