Illegal beach sand mining activities also plague the eastern Algerian coastal region. Despite a strict ban on sand mining, some powerful and yet unidentified people, are discreetly networking with the sand mafia to take over huge quantities of stolen sand close to the Algerian and Tunisian border.
Despite a large police deployment, illegal beach sand mining activities keep on expanding in the western region of Algeria, notably in Oran.
The community of Nagonha in northern Mozambique sits on a tall dune with lush greenery on the one side, and a turquoise Indian ocean on the other. It should have been the kind of unspoiled landscape that Mozambique’s growing tourism industry is beginning to take advantage of. Instead, a Chinese mining company has irrevocably tarnished the scenery, and people’s lives.
Sand is a natural resource that is more and more exploited. Worldwide, beaches are mined for sand. As many other countries in the world, African States have legislated to better protect their coastal environment, but this did not put an end to illegal beach sand mining and its detrimental effects on the ecosystems.
Sand scarcity is one of the main cause of implementation deplays in the construction industry in Algeria. The severity of the sand depletion is such that prices have gone up tenfold during this latest construction boom.
Sand mining on beaches and in riverbeds is a source of income for unemployed Africans, but it’s often an unregulated — or under-regulated — business. Environmental impact is a growing concern.
What do houses, streets, telephones and microchips have in common? They all contain processed sand. Now African countries are raising the alarm because of their disappearing beaches…
Four people arrested for illegal beach sand mining; Jijel, Algeria LEARN MORE
Decrease in illegal beach sand mining, Jijel- north-eastern coast, Algeria Protection des écosystèmes : Moins de pillages de sable de mer à Jijel Thanks to increased awareness on the detrimental effects of beach sand mining, as pictured in Denis Delestrac’s 2013 film documentary Sand-Wars, illegal sand mining has noticeably diminished in our region… Learn More … Continue reading Algeria, Jijel
