Fears for Future of Ngapali Beach as Authorities Permit Sand Excavation; Myanmar
Hoteliers at Ngapali in southern Rakhine State have warned that beaches in the area could be irrevocably damaged unless the authorities stop allowing sand to be taken for construction projects. Local authorities have formally allowed construction firms to take sand from three beaches in apparent violation of the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism’s Directives for Coastal Beach Areas.
Despite Protections, Miami Port Project Smothers Coral Reef in Silt
The government divers who plunged into the bay near the Port of Miami surfaced with bad news again and again: Large numbers of corals were either dead or dying, suffocated by sediment. The source of the sediment, environmentalists say, is a $205 million dredging project…
India’s ‘New Cities’ Plan: Environment Not Included
Sand – inexpensive and abundant – is a treasure to India’s builders and the construction industry, which employs some 40 million people. But the spike in construction means sand mining, both legal and illegal, will increase in coastal areas, riverbeds, creeks, and rivulets.
Sand Mining Threatens South Africa’s Coast
The time has come for the government to consider a total ban on any sand mining in South African rivers to curb serious environmental damage and the growing risk of severe erosion damage to coastal cities like Durban.
Sand Dredging Threatening Tourism at Top-Rated Kenya Beach
Unless measures are taken to halt dredging along the south coast beaches once and for all, one of Kenya’s greatest tourism resources could be damaged beyond repair and turn from a crowd puller and award winner in the space of a few months into a marine desert landscape.
Liberia: Coastal Defense Paradox – Beach Sand Mining Persists
Despite claims by the government of Liberia that it is committed to a coastal defense plan in order to save the city of Buchanan from sea erosion, beach sand mining in Central and Upper Buchanan continues on a weekly basis.
Kenya: Leave the sand on Diani Beach
Tourism stakeholders in Kenya and local residents of Diani Beach south of Mombasa are up in arms over plans to extract some 5 million tons of sand from award-winning Diani tourist beach.
Coastal Sand Mining: Govts. Asked to Respond; India
The Madras High Court has directed the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government to respond to a public interest litigation petition seeking a SIT probe into illegal beach sand mining in the State.
Illegal Sand Mining in South Africa, a Report
Natural sand from estuary and coastal land is one of South Africa’s most valuable resources. However, there has recently been a drastic increase in uncontrolled and unauthorised sand mining activities in rivers, valleys and estuaries throughout the country.