Mining and quarrying for minor minerals impart significant economic, environmental and social impacts in and around the affected areas. The problem is severe in the small river catchments as the effective area available for assimilating negative impacts of the activity is minimal, compared to large river basins. To address these issues, an investigation has been carried out in two river basins of southern Western Ghats (India)—the Netravati–Gurpur and Periyar–Chalakudy river basins. Both these basins host two important port cities of south India—Kochi and Mangalore. The study reveals that about 6.75 × 10⁶ ty⁻¹ of hard rocks are being extracted in the Netravati–Gurpur basin through 64 quarries. At the same time, the total number of quarries and extracted amounts in the Periyar–Chalakudy river basin are 525 and 10.47 × 10⁶ ty⁻¹, respectively. Many hillocks in the region are turned to a cluster of ugly scars, degrading the ecology and aesthetics of the area. Lowering of water table, modification or disappearance of natural drainages and environmental pollution are some of the other observations noticed in the area. The environmental impacts of laterite quarrying are comparatively less than that of rock quarrying as removal of the hard laterite cap rock enhances water percolation and makes the area more irrigable for agriculture. The study stresses the need for environment-friendly quarrying alternatives with stringent guidelines to improve the overall environmental quality of the area on one hand and to meet the developmental requirements on the other.

中文翻译：

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采石和红土块采石对环境的影响：印度西高止山脉南部两个流域的比较研究

微量矿物的开采和采石在受影响地区及周边地区产生重大的经济，环境和社会影响。在小河流域，由于与大流域相比，可用于吸收活动负面影响的有效面积很小，因此问题十分严重。为了解决这些问题，已经在印度西部西高止山脉的两个流域内特拉瓦蒂－古普尔和佩里亚尔－卡拉库迪流域进行了调查。这两个盆地都是印度南部两个重要的港口城市-高知和芒格洛尔。研究表明，大约6.75×10 ⁶  ty ^-1Netravati-Gurpur盆地中的64个采石场正在开采大量坚硬岩石。同时，Periyar–Chalakudy流域的采石场总数和提取量分别为525和10.47×10 ⁶  ty ^-1， 分别。该地区的许多小丘变成了一团丑陋的疤痕，这破坏了该地区的生态和美感。地下水位降低，自然排水系统的改建或消失以及环境污染是该地区其他一些发现。红土采石对环境的影响相对要小于岩石采石，因为去除硬红土盖岩会增加水的渗透，使该地区更易于农业灌溉。该研究强调需要采用严格指导方针的环境友好的采石场，一方面改善该地区的整体环境质量，另一方面满足发展要求。