Change of River Course. Unlicensed Extraction of Inert Materials on the Abshir-Sai (Arashan) River

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40°17’9989″N 72°20’6560″E
Illegal mining is taking place on the Abshir-Sai River near the village of Arashan in the region, where local residents use sand and gravel material for their construction or private houses. Unfortunately, there is no perfect methodology that allows for an accurate calculation of the damage caused to the environment by illegal mining. However, this does not mean that the harm is insignificant, as the extraction of gravel-sand mixtures from the river disrupts the riverbed, creates pits, and if mining occurs in fields or forests, it leads to erosion and gully formation, which can subsequently result in land loss. The operation of heavy machinery that extracts sand and gravel from riverbeds significantly affects the fish's food base.
When excavators work in the riverbed, they stir up sediment—particles of sand and soil. All of this then settles in a thick layer on the bottom, burying benthic organisms and various small crustaceans that serve as the main food source for fish. Scientists have established that the negative impact of such activities is felt up to 500 meters downstream and can lead to the complete destruction of the fish's food base.
According to specialists, the penalties for sand and gravel extraction in riverbeds are very small. It is sometimes impossible to reach the organizers of this profitable business. The scheme is simple—an entrepreneur hires an excavator and trucks to extract river sand and gravel, which is considered the best for construction work. A truckload of such sand or gravel costs between 3,000 to 5,000-6,000 soms. One excavator can load up to 40 trucks in a single day. As a result, the profit is enormous compared to our fines. Moreover, entrepreneurs do not pay taxes to anyone.
This activity leads to the depletion of surface and groundwater, marshland formation, and pollution of water protection zones, destruction of their banks, and alteration of the riverbed.