The world faces a shortage of sand for construction

In the world, 55 billion tons of sand is used every year (about 18 kilograms per person in the world daily), which is necessary for the production of concrete, glass and asphalt. Thus, sand is the third most important natural resource used after air and water. At the same time, not all sand is suitable for construction, but only located on the bottom of fresh water bodies or near them, while, for example, sea sand must be washed additionally, otherwise the salt will cause corrosion of the metal reinforcement. And desert sand is generally not suitable for production due to the fact that its grains are rounded by erosion and poorly bind concrete. Therefore, for example, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula have to import this building material, despite the abundance of deserts in their region.

Sand shortages lead to environmental problems and the growth of organized crime, writes the American publication Axios.

With regard to environmental issues, for example, in India, dredging, accompanied by sand mining, has already led to flooding in Kerala. China, the world's first consumer of sand, was forced to ban sand production from the Yangtze day back in 2000 after the destruction of bridges and coastal washouts caused by such mining, since massive removal of sand led to an increase in the Yangtze flow. In the U.S., massive sand mining in the San Jacinto River could be one of the reasons for the 2017 massive flood in Houston, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey.

If we talk about organized crime, then in India, for example, there is a “sand mafia,” reports The National Geographic. She controls the illegal extraction of sand in some Indian states, bribing and intimidating the police, local authorities and journalists.

At the same time, sand consumption taking into account urbanization around the world will only grow. Thus, a report by the British Royal Institute of International Affairs Chatham House states that the rapid urbanization of Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa will increase demand for concrete and cement.

Specialists of the UN environmental program believe that the solution may be to reduce the use of concrete and asphalt in construction due to alternative building materials, such as recycled plastic, earth, bamboo, wood, and straw.

Source: https://rg.ru/