Groundwater table, agriculture hit

The menace of illegal sand mining continues to ravage River Bhavani in Erode district and remains a cause of serious concern to the farming community. Every night, tractors, trucks and bullock carts continue to transport loads of sand illegally mined from the river to construction sites in the nearby commercial hubs including Coimbatore, Salem and Tirupur. The authorities concerned including the officials of Department of Geology and Mining and the police personnel here remain silent on this issue.