The Large Scale Mekong Sand Mining

 CHINA, THE BIGGEST SAND MARKET OF THE WORLD
In China, demand for sand is greater than anywhere else in the world due to rapid urbanization.
Demand for cement has increased 400% over the past two decades, according to the United
“Nations Environment Programme. In the past four years, China has used more cement than the
US used in the entire 20th century. Cement manufacturing needs sand, and all that sand has to
come from somewhere. In the region around Shanghai, it came until recently from the bed of the
Yangtze River. By the late 1990s miners had pulled out so much that bridges were destabilized,
shipping was hampered, and swaths of riverbank collapsed. 1 In 2010, Chinese authorities banned
the activity along the lower and middle reaches of the river. This simply drove many sand
miners to Poyang Lake, China’s largest freshwater body of water that flows into the Yangtze
about 600 kilometers upstream of Shanghai. NASA’s Earth Observatory released dramatic
satellite images of Poyang Lake. Comparing images from 1995 and 2018, the agency showed
how miners had dramatically transformed the lake.”
“A recent study estimates that 236 million cubic meters of sand are removed from the lake very
year —about 9% of the total produced by China. That makes Poyang the biggest sand mine on
the planet. Researchers say sand mining is the major reason why the lake’s water level has
dropped dramatically in recent years. The lower water levels have led to declining water quality
and supply to surrounding wetlands – Asia’s largest winter migration spot for endangered
Siberian cranes and white storks.”
The large scale Mekong sand mining
“The Mekong river is another major source of sand for China’s construction industry. On the
Yunnan stretch of the river, sand dredging is generally allowed with permission from county or
provincial authorities, who have banned sand dredging in certain places, usually in ecological
hotspots. But there hasn’t yet been a clear assessment of how exactly sand dredging operations in
1
De Leeuw, Jan & Shankman, David & Wu, Guofeng & de Boer, W. F. & Burnham, James & He, Qing & Hervé,
Yesou & Xiao, Emily. (2010). Strategic assessment of the magnitude and impacts of sand mining in Poyang Lake,
China. Regional Environmental Change. 10. 95-102. 10.1007/s10113-009-0096-6.
Yunnan have affected the biodiversity and fish populations of the Mekong. However, the overall
loss of sediment, from dredging and also held back by large dams, has visibly transformed river
landscapes in countries like Vietnam, where the rich Mekong delta constitutes the region’s rice
bowl. Dredging has taken place for years along the Mekong, but the industrial scale is relatively
new. On the Lower Mekong between Laos and Vietnam, 50 million tonnes of sand were
extracted in 2011 alone, WWF estimates – much more than the river produces in a year.
This led the riverbed to drop by more than a metre in the delta between 1998 and 2008, allowing
salt water to seep further into rice paddy fields and the entire delta to subside.”
The dreadful impacts on the Chinese Environment
“Impacts of sand mining can be broadly classified into three categories:
Physical: The large-scale extraction of streambed materials, mining and dredging below the
existing streambed, and the alteration of channel-bed form and shape leads to several impacts
such as erosion of channel bed and banks, increase in channel slope, and change in channel
morphology. These impacts2 may cause:”
(1) the undercutting and collapse of river banks,
(2) the loss of adjacent land and/or structures,
(3) upstream erosion as a result of an increase in channel slope and changes in flow velocity,
(4) “downstream erosion due to increased carrying capacity of the stream, downstream changes
in patterns of deposition, and changes in channel bed and habitat type.”
“Water Quality: Mining and dredging activities, poorly planned stockpiling and uncontrolled
dumping of overburden, and chemical/fuel spills will cause reduced water quality for
downstream users, increased cost for downstream water treatment plants and poisoning of
aquatic life.
2
Jones & Richards, “The Modern Global Environmental Crises- The need for a Collective Action by the Nations
States”, The International Journal on Environmental and legal studies, University of Yale, vol.5,issue.14, March
2019
Ecological: Mining which leads to the removal of channel substrate, re suspension of streambed
sediment, clearance of vegetation, and stockpiling on the streambed, will have ecological
impacts. These impacts may have an effect on the direct loss of stream reserve habitat,
disturbances of species attached to streambed deposits, reduced light penetration, reduced
primary production, and reduced feeding opportunities”
The Required Action
“A complete ban on sand mining would have the same effect as a prohibition on alcohol or
prostitution – it would only drive the industry further underground and raise house prices, as
happens every time the authorities try to clamp down on the practice.
Across the countries, all experts agree that the one practical solution is to designate stretches of
rivers from which sand can be extracted – and this designation must be done on ecological
principles. Contracts for mining along these stretches can be given in a transparent manner. 3 It
will enable the authorities to control the amount of sand and gravel extracted. Since the nations
governments are not prioritsing the above aspects, international action in this regard gets
significantly important.”
3
De Leeuw, Jan & Shankman, David & Wu, Guofeng & de Boer, W. F. & Burnham, James & He, Qing & Hervé,
Yesou & Xiao, Emily. (2010). Strategic assessment of the magnitude and impacts of sand mining in Poyang Lake,
China. Regional Environmental Change. 10. 95-102. 10.1007/s10113-009-0096-6.

The Large Scale Mekong Sand Mining

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

The Large Scale Mekong Sand Mining

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

 CHINA, THE BIGGEST SAND MARKET OF THE WORLD

The large scale Mekong sand mining

The dreadful impacts on the Chinese Environment

“Impacts of sand mining can be broadly classified into three categories:

(1) the undercutting and collapse of river banks,

(2) the loss of adjacent land and/or structures,

The Required Action

You might also like