What is the reason for sand mining?
A brief introduction… Put simply, sand mining is the extraction of sand usually from an open pit. It can also be mined from sand dunes, beaches and even dredged from river and ocean beds. The main reason is to provide sand for concrete, which – due to the urbanisation boom all over the world – is in high demand.
What happens if we take sand from river?
Excessive sand mining can alter the river bed, force the river to change course, erode banks and lead to flooding. It also destroys the habitat of aquatic animals and micro-organisms besides affecting groundwater recharge.
How is river sand mined?
Sand mining took off only decades ago. The method of extraction depends on where the sand is located. On land or along rivers, it is often dug up with backhoes, shovels or bare hands. Along coastlines, miners use dredging boats or suction pumps.
Why is sand mining bad for river?
Excessive instream sand-and-gravel mining causes the degradation of rivers. Depletion of sand in the streambed and along coastal areas causes the deepening of rivers and estuaries, and the enlargement of river mouths and coastal inlets. It may also lead to saline-water intrusion from the nearby sea.
Why should we stop sand mining?
What are the main issues with sand mining? The volume being extracted is having a major impact on rivers, deltas and coastal and marine ecosystems, sand mining results in loss of land through river or coastal erosion, lowering of the water table and decreases in the amount of sediment supply.
Why is sand important to rivers?
“Sand is important for ground water recharge, on a riverbed it acts as a link between the flowing river and the water table and is part of the aquifer,” said Manoj Misra of the NGO Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan. Illegally dredged sand, Mr. Misra said, is equivalent to robbing water.
When did sand mining began?
This activity started in the early 20th century (in the mid-1920s, in the United Kingdom), but did not reach a significant scale until the 1960s and 1970s, when markets for marine sand and gravel expanded and dredging technology improved (Fig. 1).
Is river sand same as beach sand?
River Sand is a kind of small particle produced by repeated impact, collision or friction of stone by river in a long period of natural state. Sea Sand refers to the sand eroded by sea water without desalination, mostly from the junction of sea water and rivers, containing corrosive salts.
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