Tamil Nadu plans satellite imaging to check illegal mining, India

Illegal granite quarrying scam recently unearthed in Tamil Nadu, the eleventh largest state in India by area and the seventh most populous state, has prompted the state government to put in place a monitoring mechanism via satellite images, for mining operations in the state.

Sand mining: The High Volume – Low Value Paradox

Given the rapid rate of urbanization and the current rate of extraction of sand for construction, and the silent devastation left behind in its wake, the modern process of assigning value, economic or otherwise to this resource seems sadly inchoate and needs to be re-evaluated… By Kiran Pereira.

Midnight Sand Markets Flourish Post Ban, Andhra Pradesh State, India

The midnight-to-morning sand market (a routine feature every night) had customers jostling and haggling for the best deal, some even indulging in panic buying with traders hard selling that sand supply from neighbouring states would stop in a few days… And sky is the limit for a ton of sand.

Boom Time For Illegal Sand Mining, Kerala State, India

With the coastal city of Kozhikode’s construction sector flourishing, illegal sand mining and misuse of sand passes have spawned a multi-crore business, setting off a range of social, legal and environmental issues.

Destroying Paradise To Make Concrete Blocks: Sand Mining In Sierra Leone

A new threat has emerged that risks destroying Sierra Leone’s eco-tourism untapped opportunities for sustainable development: Sand Mining. The free-sand-for-all bonanza just exploded. Without permits, hundreds of trucks attack the beaches on a daily basis, hiring local boys as daily laborers to destroy their own communities…

Opposition to Beach Sand Mining Mounts, India

The Akhila Bharata Rythu Coolie Sangham and other organisations are vehemently opposing the sand mining activity in Vajrapukotturu — situated in the state of Andhra Pradesh on India’s southeastern coast — as they believe that it is detrimental to the interests of fishermen and other communities that depend on the sea for their livelihood.