Tamil Nadu sand quarries measured by drone
- At least 261 people died.India-wide sand-related deaths counted by SANDRP from English-language press, April 2022 to February 2023; not specific to Tamil Nadu.
- The record does not name which of my species, waters, soils or forests were harmed.
Records showed 28 licensed sand quarries in Tamil Nadu. A drone and LiDAR survey presented by India's financial-crime unit to the Madras High Court measured an excavated area about five times the licensed area and a volume about seven times the recorded volume.
Estimate: 987.01 ha measured against 195.37 ha licensed, from the 28 January 2023 drone and LiDAR survey; the ratio is calculated from those two figures.
Status As of the latest dated report (November 2023): the ED's survey was presented to the Madras High Court; the state anti-corruption unit opened a preliminary inquiry; no ruling is recorded.
- State treasury of Tamil Nadu — Received Rs 36.45 crore against sand sales of Rs 4,730 crore. The Week
What happened
In Tamil Nadu, all 28 sand quarries in question were licensed, and the records of the Water Resources Department were in order. The records described them as licensed and supervised quarries.
The ED, India's financial-crime unit, had IIT-Kanpur measure the quarries by drone and LiDAR. The measurement is dated 28 January 2023. It found 987.01 hectares affected against 195.37 hectares licensed, and 27.70 lakh units of sand removed against 4.05 lakh units on record. (A lakh is 100,000.) The ED presented the measurement to the Madras High Court, and The Week reported it on 27 November 2023 under the headline that sand worth Rs 4,730 crore had been illegally mined.
The same figures put the revenue that reached the state at Rs 36.45 crore, against sand sales worth Rs 4,730 crore over a period given as one to two years. That is about 0.77% of the sale value. (A crore is 10 million.)
The ED applied to the state's police chief; no first information report (FIR) was registered. The state's own anti-corruption unit, DVAC, later opened a preliminary inquiry. No ruling in the matter is recorded in the sources.
Separately, SANDRP, counting from English-language press, recorded at least 261 sand-related deaths across India between April 2022 and February 2023, including 49 people who drowned in pits. These figures cover India as a whole and are not specific to Tamil Nadu.
- 202328 January: drone and LiDAR measurement by IIT-Kanpur of the Tamil Nadu quarries
- 202327 November: The Week reports the ED's measurement presented to the Madras High Court
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
All 28 quarries were licensed and supervised; the records were in order.
The IIT-Kanpur survey found 987.01 ha affected against 195.37 ha licensed, 27.70 lakh units of sand removed against 4.05 lakh units on record, and sand worth Rs 4,730 crore sold against Rs 36.45 crore of revenue.
The WeekHow it looked
Shown
- Licensed and supervised sand quarries; all 28 licensedTamil Nadu Water Resources Department records
Recorded
- Affected area measured at 987.01 ha against 195.37 ha licensed; volume 27.70 lakh units against 4.05 lakh units on record (survey dated 28 January 2023).
- Sand worth Rs 4,730 crore sold; Rs 36.45 crore reached the state.
- The state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application; the state anti-corruption unit (DVAC) later opened a preliminary inquiry.
- SANDRP counted at least 261 sand-related deaths in India between April 2022 and February 2023 (India-wide).
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- enforcement-directorate (2023-11): Presented the IIT-Kanpur measurement to the Madras High Court: 987.01 ha affected against 195.37 ha licensed, and sand worth Rs 4,730 crore against Rs 36.45 crore revenue. · The Week
- tamil-nadu-dvac (undated): Opened a preliminary inquiry.
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2023-11–OngoingED measurement of Tamil Nadu sand quarries before the Madras High CourtMadras High Court · Regulatory · ED, India's financial-crime unit → not on record
The ED presented an IIT-Kanpur drone and LiDAR measurement to the court; The Week reported it on 27 November 2023. No ruling is recorded. The Week
- OngoingPreliminary inquiry by the state anti-corruption unitTamil Nadu DVAC · Criminal · DVAC → not on record
After the state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application, the state's anti-corruption unit opened a preliminary inquiry.
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
- Not measured Harm to nature: No independent ecological evaluation is on record.
Accounts
- Disputed Were the sand quarries operating within their licences?
Record
- None on record The unit of the volume figures ('lakh units') is not specified in the source summary.
- None on record The period over which the sand was sold is given only as one to two years.
- Unclear No ruling by the Madras High Court is recorded in the sources.
- None on record The state police did not register an FIR on the ED's application.
Did the harm stop?
No stop is recorded in the sources.
Who paid?
The state treasury received about 0.77% of the sale value of the sand; the effects on the rivers and the communities along them are not documented in the sources.
Sources
Press and investigations
- Tamil Nadu: Sand worth Rs 4,730 crore illegally mined, ED informs Madras HCThe Week · 2023-11-27
Connected cases
- Madras High Court orders Prosopis uprooted in Tamil Nadu India · 2026
- Madras High Court (Court) — here: Court; there: Court that ordered the uprooting