Anambra State Government has released twelve approved sand mining guidelines around bridges, its environs, and other parts of the State.

The guidelines, derived from the recommendations of the committee set up by the state government due to threats to Odene Bridge in Anambra East Local Government Area, as a result of sand mining related activities, mandates all sand miners in Anambra State to register with the ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources for documentation, communication, monitoring and supervision.

According to the release, sand dredging is allowed in the area, provided all dredging activities are relocated to a distance of one kilometer away on both sides of the bridge while those already existing at safe distances of at least one kilometer away can operate at no threat to the bridge.

It also ordered that during registration, all sand miners should sign an undertaking with Anambra State Government, represented by the ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and the ministry of Environment through its agency, pledging to abide by the guidelines.

The guidelines, signed by the Commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Barrister Anthony Ifeanya and the Special Adviser to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on Security, Retired Air Vice Marshal Ben Chiobi, noted that the records of registered miners shall be made available to the ministry of Environment and its agency for enhanced performance.

While warning that no sand mining pit shall be established, whether currently existing or not without appropriate consideration and approval of the ministries of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and that of Environment, the guidelines ruled that Sand pits should be at least, one hundred meters away from the road.

The guidelines, which charged operators to create concrete roads to their Sand mining pits as loading and offloading of sand on government roads remain prohibited, implored the state Internal Revenue Service, to set out a clear mechanism for the collection of Internally Generated Revenue, by deploying its staff to the locations.

Meanwhile, the guidelines requests communities in Aguleri axis to provide a signed Memorandum of Understanding, outlining their terms of agreement to ensure full technical and environmental compliance and foster good community relations supervised by the ministries of Petroleum and Mineral Resources and Environment as government considers completing the Aguleri/Enugu Otu Road to give other communities in the hinterland a sense of belonging.

It however designated the office of the commissioner for Petroleum and Mineral Resources as venue for more inquiries.