HAPHAZARD quarrying and mining on the bed of the Beas river and its tributaries is threatening the ecology of the Kullu valley. The river has been changing its course since 1995, causing damage to life and property. The public works department has made the river bed barren as big stones and boulders, which used to be natural protectors, have been removed. Mining is going on under the eyes of the district administration. More than 100 tractors can be seen illegally collecting building material from the Beas river bed. There are only four watchmen for the entire district, which stretches to about 100 km from the foot of Rohtang pass to Pajaura and 1,000 km covering the valleys that include outer Seraj, Manikaran and Sarwari.