Sand demand growing fast

Bangladesh is self-sufficient in sand. Sand miners term the substance as ‘Raw Gold’. All mega projects use our own sand. Sand does not cost much but fetches a huge amount of money. Globally, humans consume up to 50 billion metric tons of sand and gravel every year, amounting to 18 kilograms per person per day, according to a UN report released in May last year. In Bangladesh too the demand for sand has increased significantly due to numerous ongoing big infrastructure and development projects. According to a report published in this newspaper on Saturday, the market for sand has grown to Tk 700-Tk 800 crore , compared to around Tk 400-Tk 450 crore five-six years ago. The annual growth of the sand industry is now 10-15 per cent. Around seven/eight lakh people are involved in sector.

While sand is present in all soils of Bangladesh, it occurs widely in the substratum of soils on the old Himalayan Piedmont Plain, in some parts of the old Brahmaputra Floodplain and in the west Ganges River Floodplain. Sands also occur on the chars or shoals of Brahmaputra-Jamuna river. These sands are of good quality, and can be used for construction purposes. They are replenished every year during the monsoon season. Extraction of sand keeps the river channels clear for the free flow of water. Moreover, it also creates job opportunities for local people. Some research suggests that the sands of Bangladesh’s rivers are potentially economically important hosts for heavy mineral resources. Sand traditionally has been a local product. However, regional shortages and sand mining bans in some countries are turning it into a globalized commodity. Bangladesh can take advantage of this situation and formulate policies to export sand. There already have been proposals from overseas companies to import dredged sand from Bangladesh.

Sand is the most-consumed natural resource on the planet besides water. Sand is a critical ingredient of our lives. It is the primary raw material that modern cities are made from. The concrete used to construct shopping malls, offices, and apartment blocks, along with the asphalt we use to build roads connecting them, are largely basically sand and gravel glued together. The glass in every window, windshield, and smart phone screen is made of melted-down sand. And even the silicon chips inside the phones and computers – along with virtually every other piece of electronic equipment in our homes – are made from sand. It is no exaggeration to say that sand and coarser aggregates – the medium- to coarse-grained pebbles, gravel and rock fragments used in construction – are the building blocks of the modern world. When bound with cement, sand becomes concrete; when mixed with bitumen, it becomes asphalt; and when heated, it becomes glass. Without sand, we would have no highways, high-rises or high-speed trains. All efforts should be made to ensure that sand mining is done in such a way that it is environmentally sustainable. The insatiable demand for sand now poses one of the major sustainability challenges of the 21st century and meeting it will require improved governance of sand resources. Sand supply chains are complex and often invisible. Addressing such a fragmented sector requires a cross-sector approach to work out a vision that is consistent with best practice and that is commercially viable, but that also meets the needs of local communities.

Unfortunately, illegal sand extraction from rivers, canals and hills have been going on all across the country despite there being specific laws and High Court orders prohibiting such activities. Those involved in these nefarious activities are besmirching the reputation of honest traders in the sector. While the sand market is growing fast the traders face several obstacles. Extortion in naval routes is a big challenge for sand traders. The cost of sand goes up due to extortion and high carrying costs. The sector also suffers from a lot of indiscipline and irregularities due to a lack of proper monitoring by the authorities concerned. This naturally affects the whole process from mining to sales.

Sand mining in rivers is crucial for Bangladesh because it has huge economic value besides maintaining navigability in the country’s rivers. However the mining must be carried out in an organised way.