Illegal sand mining a deadly beat for India’s journalists

The recent killing of a reporter in India’s Uttar Pradesh state has exposed the dangers for journalists covering illegal sand mining and construction in the country. The sand mining industry is laden with corruption, and this puts journalists who cover the topic at an increased danger.

6 things you need to know about sand mining

Sand is the single most mined commodity, eclipsing minerals and metals by a colossal margin. Around 85% of the material we pull up from the earth is sand, gravel or other aggregate materials. Globally our annual aggregate consumption is somewhere around 53 billion tonnes – the equivalent to every person on earth using 20kg of sand every single day.