The Marine and Coastal Surveys Division of the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which has surveyed the territorial waters off Kerala since 1985 has found substantial deposits of construction grade sand, which can address the perennial shortage of construction sand in the State.
The deposits, estimated at around 750 million tonnes, can last for nearly 25 years at the present requirement of 30 million tonnes for construction purposes a year in Kerala, said C.V. Gopalan, Director, GSI, Mangaluru.
He added that the Government of India, which was exploring the potential of sea resources, would make an elaborate impact assessment before mining is undertaken.
