SRINAGAR: A committee constituted by the Deputy Commissioner of Budgam to examine the impact of illegal mining in the Sukhnag river in Beerwah has confirmed extensive damage to the river ecosystem, prompting the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to order further on-site assessment by an expert supervisory panel.
The seven-member committee, constituted in August last year following directions from the NGT, has submitted its report to the tribunal through the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC). The report concludes that large-scale riverbed mining has significantly disturbed the natural flow and geo-morphological stability of Sukhnag, a designated trout fish stream in Budgam district.
The findings were placed before the Principal Bench of the NGT in New Delhi during the hearing of Original Application No. 1211/2024, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat versus Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and others on February 26, 2026.
According to the report, deep trenches created by mining operations have altered the natural bed level of the stream, while heavy machinery deployed in the river channel has caused severe side erosion and weakened embankments. Protection works previously constructed along the stream have also been damaged, with foundations exposed due to changes in the riverbed slope.
The committee further observed that illegal and unregulated riverbed mining, particularly during night hours, had disrupted the natural bed configuration, longitudinal slope and geomorphological balance of the stream.
The report noted that the combined impact of excessive extraction and changes in the riverbed profile had led to unstable flow velocities and irregular sediment deposition. In several stretches, sediment-starved flows downstream had triggered accelerated scouring and progressive channel erosion.
District authorities informed the tribunal that enforcement measures had been intensified against illegal mining in the area. Between January 2024 and August 2025, the Department of Mining seized 215 vehicles involved in illegal extraction and recovered penalties amounting to Rs 29.36 lakh. A total of 26 FIRs were also registered against habitual offenders.
The district administration said illegal mining in the Sukhnag has now been completely stopped and enforcement mechanisms have been strengthened to prevent further violations.
To restore the damaged stream, the committee recommended a series of ecological and engineering measures. These include filling deep trenches in the riverbed, levelling sediment to restore normal water flow, constructing gabion or crate check-dams and weirs equipped with fish ladders, and building toe walls to stabilise vulnerable embankments.
The committee also suggested creating artificial fish pools to restore breeding, nursery and feeding grounds for trout in the stream.
However, the supervisory committee constituted earlier by the NGT has sought additional time to examine the report and carry out a field inspection to assess the damage more precisely.
During a virtual meeting of the supervisory committee held on February 24, 2026, Sandipan Mukherjee, Scientist-E at the GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, said that since the submitted report was largely qualitative, a spot visit was required to assess the extent of damage on the ground.
Khurshid Alam Khan, Deputy Director in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF and CC), also noted that the report had been received only on February 23 and required further examination. He said additional information was needed to quantify the damage caused by mining and determine responsibility for violations of the Standard Operating Procedures for riverbed mining issued by the ministry in August 2022 and August 2023.
The supervisory committee, which includes the Member Secretary of the J&K Pollution Control Committee, the Regional Officer of the MoEF&CC at Chandigarh and a nominee from the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment, has decided to conduct a site visit in the coming weeks and recommend measures for the revival of the Sukhnag river
The tribunal has also directed the expert committee to assess damage suffered by a local trout fish farmer, Peerzada Rayees of Sail Beerwah, whose registered fish farm was reportedly affected by mining activity in the stream.
According to submissions before the tribunal, the expert panel will visit the farm during its inspection and quantify the financial losses suffered by the farmer.
Environmental activist and petitioner in the case, Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat, welcomed the decision for a field inspection, saying that responsibility for the ecological damage must be fixed.
“It is important that the expert committee visits the site and determines who was responsible for the large-scale destruction of Sukhnag. Their findings will be crucial in fixing accountability and guiding restoration measures,” he said.
The matter will be taken up again by the NGT’s Principal Bench on March 27, 2026, by which time the expert committee is expected to submit its assessment report following the proposed site inspection.
