Sand Alert Dredging Endangers Sand and Aquatic Life

Sand is vital for a country like India due to its ever-expanding urban population and construction needs. In this insightful article, Dr Indumathi Somashekar highlights that sand dredging is the process of excavating sand, silt, and other sediment from the bottom of water bodies using large machinery. Dredging is carried out for various purposes such as beach reclamation and maintaining waterways for the smooth navigation of boats and ships. However, sand dredging could do more harm than good if not adequately planned.

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Widespread awareness of the importance of sand and the drastic effects of dredging is the first step to saving sand. Over the last decade, the Government of India has passed several regulations to curb sand mining, which could serve as a starting point.

First, it was water, and now sand too is getting depleted at a fast rate, thanks to sand dredging. A 2023 finding by the United Nations (UN) warns that marine dredging is responsible for excavation of six billion tonnes of sand and sediment, every year, which is equivalent to one million dump trucks every day. This endangers marine life, well-being of coastal communities, and depletion of sand which is the second most used natural resource in the planet, after water. Going by the staggering statistics and if the indiscriminate practice of sand extraction persists, we might soon run out of sand.

Sand Watch

Sand dredging is a process of excavation of sand, silt and other sediment from the bottom of water bodies using large machinery like the dredger which acts as a vacuum to remove the sediment. Dredging is done for various purposes such as beach reclamation, maintaining waterways for smooth navigation of boats and ships, and commercial purposes like construction. But, sand dredging could do more harm than good, if not planned adequately.