DRAWING A LINE IN THE SAND
Drawing a line
in the sand traditionally is a futile endeavour but now is the time when we
need to draw a deep red line on its exploitation.
Last week before
the winter sets in for good, I wanted to spread some sand on the lawn which
helps the drainage of ample rainwater during the winter.
The price has
gone up, no surprise there. When looking up for sand prices on the net I saw an
interesting fact. Will you believe it! Sand is the most consumed natural
resource, second only to water! The sand is an essential ingredient for
concrete, asphalt, glass, and silicon, all building blocks of our modern
civilization.
According to a report by UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) 50 billion tons are extracted every year and is increasing year on year, enough to build a wall 27 metres wide and 27 metres high around planet Earth. This equates to 18 kg per person per day.
I thought there
is so much of it in the vast sandy deserts around the Earth and equally huge amount
in the seas. Where is the problem! Those who know these things say these sands
are different and are not suitable for making concrete. The desert sand is too
smooth and too small and too rounded, and sea sand has a high salt and chemical
content. The “Cinderella sand” that is most suitable as building material is
the sand from rivers, coastal beaches and lakes and quarries. But this sand
performs a vital role in preserving the ecosystems at macro and micro levels. Depletion
of these pockets of sands greatly increases the chances of costal erosion and floods.
It seriously endangers the marine and riverine fauna and flora, threatens the
fisheries and increases the risk of salinization of freshwater aquifers1.
What is more, in
many countries its extraction is unregulated, or the regulations are poorly enforced.
This leads to a proliferation of organised criminal gangs adding to people’s
miseries.
This immense
amount of sand used by us humans is clearly not sustainable. It is surpassing
the Nature’s ability to replace it by the geological processes of breaking and grinding
the rocks which takes several thousands to many millions of years.
UNEP produced a
detailed report on Sand and Sustainability with strategic recommendations for
averting a crisis in April 20222. Only lip service has been paid to
it by the responsible authorities and the public alike.
Clearly time has
come when we stop thinking of sand as an insignificant and of a low value commodity
which we, the humans can exploit for our commercial interests without any care
or consideration.
We MUST visualise
it as an indispensable ingredient for our environment and as an endangered
natural resource which demands the utmost respect and attention from us all.
REFERENCES
|
One Earth | Vol 8, Issue 2, 21 February 2025 |
ScienceDirect.com by Elsevier |
2. Sand-And-Sustainability-10-Strategic-Recommendations
1 comment:
Thanks for aVery interesting and informative post about sand.
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