section_path: Pollution and environmental concerns/Mining
section_name: Mining
paragraph_text: Mining
  
  Illegal mining in the Ganges river bed for stones and sand for construction work has long been a problem in Haridwar district, Uttarakhand, where it touches the plains for the first time. This is despite the fact that quarrying has been banned in Kumbh Mela area zone covering 140 km area in Haridwar.