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.
Read MoreYears Of Illegal Sand Mining Take Its Toll On Tuticorin Coast, South Eastern India
People from Viapar, a coastal village in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district, say they have never seen sea waves reach so close to their homes. Several neighbouring villages echo the same story as years of illegal mining have led to heavy beach erosion across the region.
Read MoreNew signs have emerged in recent days which indicate that extreme measures are being taken in order to suppress evidence of the pernicious effects of the energy extraction method known as hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking”.
Read MoreRampant sand mining will have dire ecological consequences, warn environmentalists.
Read MoreFrom forcing the river to change its course, to affecting the groundwater tables and adversely impacting the habitat of micro-organisms, the ramifications of illegal sand mining are many.
Read MoreThe seemingly unceasing mining operation on the Yamuna and Hindon riverbeds in western Uttar Pradesh is encouraged by the increasing demand for sand for construction by realtors.
Read MoreThe sand dunes along this 14km beach have been eradicated to provide sand for construction along the coast.
Read MoreIllegal beach sand mining is reaching alarming levels along the 10 kilometers shoreline from the East of Jijel city to Oued Djendjen area, on the northeastern coast, Algeria.
Read MoreAt a time when the planet’s reserve of sand from its beaches is threatened by smuggling and illegal mining, environmentalists are asking India, as the present international custodian of the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD), to take a lead in the control of sand mining.
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