The Hidden Sands project hopes new hi-tech surveillance could improve the enforcement of sand mining regulations and improve resilience for these riverbed communities.

Photo by Pok Rie

Sand plays a central role in modern society (e.g. smartphones – high-purity silica sand is essential for making silicon chips) and urban development (e.g. skyscrapers – sand is a key ingredient in concrete). While sand naturally replenishes at rates of 15 billion to 20 billion tonnes annually, the UN’s environment programme (Unep) warns that global sand consumption is now in excess of 50 billion tonnes annually.  While the environmental and social effects of sand mining remain largely hidden from public scrutiny, new research spotlights how relentless extraction is pushing river systems to the brink of collapse, displacing communities and fuelling a billion-dollar black market.

The global sand trade is valued at over US$2.3 billion (£1.8 billion) annually, with demand predicted to double by 2060. However, much of this economic gain is concentrated in wealthy cities, while costs are disproportionately borne by local communities in extraction regions. The high value and ease of sand extraction has also led to the rise of a “sand mafia”, who use intimidation and violence to secure dominance in the supply chain.

The new Hidden Sands project is using high-resolution satellite imagery and ground-based cameras to map riverbed sand mining across the Mekong delta. Research on the Lower Mekong river has revealed sand mining is depleting sediment stocks at an alarming pace, causing riverbeds to lower and banks to erode. They have documented how people face displacement as their riverbanks erode and homes collapse into the water, and how sand mining is eroding cultural and communal ties. Researchers hope that with more accurate real-time insights into the volumes of sand being extracted, policies can be more effectively enforced.