Watch: 17-year-old’s video on sand mining in Kerala’s Alappad prompts action from green tribunal
Kavya’s video on the fears of her village falling off the map because of mining got the attention of the media and prompted an intervention.
Seventeen-year-old Kavya from Kerala’s Alappad’s used the help of technology and social media to raise awareness about the sand mining in her village – an effort that has now paid off with the National Green Tribunal cracking down on the activity.
The NGT asked for a report from the Kollam district administration after Kavya’s video, talking about fears of the village falling off the map due to extensive excavation and dredging by public-sector firms, caught the attention of social media and was featured in a report by The Indian Express.
“In the video, all I have done is express the pain of the people in my village. It’s not a political speech. In my own little way, I’m happy I could contribute to the cause and I’m glad that the public of Kerala are supporting us,” Kavya, a class 12 student, told the newspaper.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the district magistrate to submit the report within a month. The next hearing has been set for March 29.
