Ashkelon is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, 50 kilometres south of Tel Aviv, and 13 kilometers north of the border with the Gaza Strip. Photo source: ©© Alex K
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In raids in the Central District police arrested 20 suspects they say made millions running a massive illegal sand mining operation in the Yavne dunes.
Illegal sand mining is highly-profitable and for years has been popular in the Lachish district, especially in remote beach areas stretching from Ashkelon to Yavne and beyond. The practice can cause serious damage to nature areas and worsen erosion in addition to the illicit money it brings into the black market…
Read Full Article, The Jerusalem Post
Sand Thieves Are Eroding World’s Beaches For Castles Of Cash, (Uploaded 09-03-2013)
The pillaging of sand is a growing practice in the world. Taken by hand, three or four meters deep in the Maldives archipelago, or transported on a donkey, or sucked up by huge sand boats in Asia, coastal sand mining, authorized or unlawful, is exploding…
” Le Sable: Enquête sur Une Disparition” / Sand Wars; An Investigation Documentary, By Denis Delestrac, a Film Documentary Produced by Rappi Productions and La compagnie des Taxi-Brousse
Sand: Most of us think of it as a complimentary ingredient of any beach vacation. Yet those seemingly insignificant grains of silica surround our daily lives. Every house, skyscraper and glass building, every bridge, airport and sidewalk in our modern society depends on sand. We use it to manufacture optical fiber, cell phone components and computer chips. We find it in our toothpaste, powdered foods and even in our glass of wine (both the glass and the wine, as a fining agent)!
Is sand an infinite resource? Can the existing supply satisfy a gigantic demand fueled by construction booms? What are the consequences of intensive beach sand mining for the environment and the neighboring populations?
Based on encounters with sand smugglers, barefoot millionaires, corrupt politicians, unscrupulous real estate developers and environmentalists, this investigation takes us around the globe to unveil a new gold rush and a disturbing fact: the “SAND WARS” have begun…
BE THE CHANGE:
PETITION: Take Action To End Global Beach Sand Mining, Coastal Care
Illegal sand mining, near Tangier, Morocco. Photograph: © SAF — Coastal Care
