Greenechoes #40: Beneath the Sands is now live!
ERC's annual global collaboration with journalists from 12 countries sheds light on sand mining and its perils this year
The Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC) collaborated with newsrooms and journalists across 12 countries and two continents to investigate the global sand mining business, the syndicates controlling it, the communities affected by it, and the need for international standards to regulate it before it is too late. We spent a year ‘digging’ the stories of the vast growing sand mining business that has concealed a dreadful impact on the environment and human lives.
The ERC investigation titled, Beneath the Sands, exposes how greed for grains of sand comes at a fatal human cost; how murders and other associated crimes have taken a toll on poverty-stricken communities, and highlights particularly women who rise up against powerful sand mining operations. As cities rise in number and countries urbanize rapidly, sand mining-related murders and other associated crimes have taken a toll on poverty-stricken communities.
From the shrinking of islands in Indonesia; damage to fishing grounds in Taiwan, China, and the Philippines; farmlands that turned into sand harvesting in Kenya and India; and the collapse of the riverbank in the Mekong Delta, forcing its residents to relocate.
We documented sand-related crimes happening in Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Philippines, and India, from tax evasion, and trespassing to threats of stalking journalists, and activists to people caught in the crossfire between gangs known as ‘sand mafias.’
Finally, we look at how sand mining impacted women in Cambodia, India, Kenya, and Indonesia. From home to the streets, women are on the frontlines in the resistance against these powerful sand mining operations.
We will be releasing the stories in batches and the first week will include reports on environmental impact, gender, and crime angles; the second part will be released on May 4, 2023, and include reports on reclamation and supply chain angles.
Meanwhile, check out our Beneath the Sands video story.
We are going to break down our investigation on ERC Twitter @erc_earth at 12 PM Kuala Lumpur time. Stay tuned and don't forget to follow our social media. Join us and all our 70+ contributors to know more…
Special thanks to all our media partners: Center for Investigative Reporting Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka), Kontinentalist (Singapore), Mekong Eye (Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand), The Initium (China), Science Africa (Kenya), Tempo (Indonesia), The Reporter (Taiwan), NBC News (USA), Philippines Center for Investigative Journalism (The Philippines), and Ukaalo (Nepal).