Lok Sabha reply: Environmental safeguards and monitoring for beach sand/rare earth mineral mining
DAE’s AMD reported Cuddalore coastal exploration for beach sand minerals and outlined Government controls for monazite content, export channelization, surveillance, and coastal EIA with radiological review.
GS3GS2GS4GS1PIBGS3Beach sand mineralsMonazite and strategic export controlIllegal mining surveillance
What happened: DAE’s AMD exploration in Cuddalore coast and Government safeguards for coastal BSM/monazite control
The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) stated that Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD) conducted exploration in the coastal tracts of Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, for Beach Sand Minerals (BSM) and established a BSM deposit named “Pudupuram-Cuddalore BSM deposit”. The Government also described environmental safeguards and monitoring measures for rare-earth-bearing coastal mineral extraction, along with controls to curb illegal beach sand mining and unauthorized export of monazite-rich sands.
Exploration finding: “Pudupuram-Cuddalore BSM deposit” and Government-stated mineral quantities
AMD established the “Pudupuram-Cuddalore BSM deposit”. Government-stated mineral quantities are: Total Heavy Minerals (THM) = 1.912 Million tonnes (Mt); Monazite = 0.005 Mt; Ilmenite = 0.926 Mt; Zircon = 0.063 Mt.
