Desert Sand could be the next bonanza for desert countries
Researchers have developed a new construction material that, unlike concrete, can be made from round grains of desert sand. Finding an alternative to conventional concrete sand would relieve environmental pressure around the world. But it would be a tragedy if the discovery of the usefulness of this readily available commodity led to an unregulated gold rush.
Inside the deadly world of India’s sand mining mafia
India ranks second after China in its use of construction sand, a dwindling and increasingly valuable resource.
Time is running out for sand
Sand and gravel are being extracted faster than they can be replaced. Monitor and manage this resource globally.
The crumbling coast: Mineral beach sand mining is eating away Kerala’s coast;Video
Residents of Alappad, a seaside village in Kollam, Kerala, have begun the #savealappad campaign to stop sand mining in their village which is resulting in large chunks of land getting wiped out.
Sand mafias silence journalists in India
Up to 50 billion metric tons of sand and gravel are extracted every year worldwide. The inexhaustible need for sand from this rapidly-developing country is the breeding ground for illegal activities by what has come to be known as the “sand mafias”.
UN Report: Sand Mafias are Destroying Moroccan Beaches
Sand mafias and illegal sand extraction are destroying beaches and threatening Morocco’s coastline, reminds the UN Environment Program.
Demand for sand: the largest mining industry no one talks about
The world’s largest and perhaps most destructive mining industry is rarely discussed. Approximately 85 percent of all material mined from the earth is a simple and widely available resource: sand. Because it is so cheap and readily available, it is mined by everyone from guy with a shovel, to multi-million dollar machine operations.
Against the grain: anger grows at spike in ‘sand graffiti’ by tourists in Japan
Local authorities in Japan have drawn a line in the sand amid anger over a rise in graffiti by foreign tourists disfiguring its pristine coastal dunes.
Rising demand for sand calls for resource governance, UN
With the global demand for sand and gravel standing at 40 to 50 billion tonnes per year, a new report by UN Environment reveals that aggregate extraction in rivers has led to pollution, flooding, lowering of water aquifers and worsening drought occurrence.