Karnataka High Court Bans Mining And Quarrying Activities At KRS Dam

The Karnataka High Court has decided to ban all mining and quarrying activities within a 20-km radius of the historic Krishna-Raja Sagar (KRS) dam in the Mandya district.

• This ban on mining activities will remain in force until the Central Mining and Fuel Research Institute, Dhanbad, conducts the dam safety survey.
• This ban will also apply to mining activities within a radius of 20 km for which the authorities already granted permission/license.
• A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Krishna S Dixit gave this order while hearing a petition filed by a person named CG Kumar.

Reasons for the ban:

• To protect the dam from mining activities, it has been decided to ban all mining and quarrying activities within a 20 km radius of the Krishna-Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam.
• This restriction has been implemented under the Dam Safety Act 2021 provisions.

About Krishna - Raja Sagar (KRS) Dam:

• This is a type of gravity dam.
• This dam was constructed in Karnataka in 1932.
• This dam is situated on the Kaveri River.
• The length of this dam is approximately 8597 feet and the height (from river bed level) is approximately 130.80 feet.
• This dam is named after Krishnaraja Wodeyar IV, the ruler of the Mysore Kingdom.
• The construction of this dam was planned by M. Visvesvaraya in 1932 during the reign of Wodeyar Raja; hence, this dam is also called M. Visvesvaraya Dam.
• The water from this dam is used for irrigation and drinking in Mysore and Mandya.
• The water released from this dam is also used in Tamil Nadu.
• Vrindavan Garden is situated near this dam.

About Kaveri River:

• In the Tamil language, it is also known as 'Ponni'.
• It is also called the Ganga of the South.
• It originates from the Brahmagiri Hills in the Western Ghats of the southwestern state of Karnataka.
• Major tributaries of Kaveri are Arkavathy, Hemavati, Lakshmana Tirtha, Shimsha, Kabini and Harangi.