Karnataka High Court Bans Mining And Quarrying Activities At KRS Dam

Utkarsh Classes Last Updated 10-01-2024

Karnataka High Court Bans Mining And Quarrying Activities At KRS Dam

High Court 3 min read

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.