Beach and dune sand mining, South Africa. Photo courtesy of: “Sand Wars” Award-Winning Filmmaker: © Denis Delestrac (2013).
Excerpts;
Research shows that KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape are home to more than 200 illegal sand mining operations. Umvoti River sand is as good as gold in the construction industry. Its stellar components have placed it among the best sand in South Africa for building purposes.
It’s so sought after, that the sand is oftentimes sold to buyers in Gauteng, but this comes at a great environmental loss…
Read Full Article, ENCA (12-10-2015)
Sand Mining Threatens South Africa’s Coast, Business Report (03-06-2015)
South Africa Dune Mining Whips Up Sandstorm, CNN (07-09-2012)
For centuries, the massive sand dunes overlooking the warm waters off the South African east coast have created a majestic scenery, acting as a natural wall between the sea and the land environment. In recent years, mining companies have been eager to dig inside these dunes to extract the valuable minerals they contain…
Sand, Rarer Than One Thinks: A UNEP report (March 2014)
Despite the colossal quantities of sand and gravel being used, our increasing dependence on them and the significant impact that their extraction has on the environment, this issue has been mostly ignored by policy makers and remains largely unknown by the general public…
Let’s Talk About Sand: Denis Delestrac At TEDxBarcelona (12-2013)
