“We just think that sand is everywhere. We never thought we would run out of sand, but it is starting in some places. It is about anticipating what can happen in the next decade or so because if we don’t look forward, if we don’t anticipate, we will have massive problems about sand supply but also about land planning,” said Pascal Peduzzi, a climate scientist with the United Nations Environment Programme.

Construction is very much dependent on the availability of materials. Sand is one the of the fundamental materials in building man-made marvels.

Cities are expanding all across the globe at a scale far greater than any time in human history. The number of people living in urban areas has more than quadrupled since 1950 to approximately 4.2 billion today.

However, due to our constant need for the said material, countries supplying sand have felt drastic effects on their environment.

“As I grew up in Bangalore, I constantly read reports about the rivers being decimated due to sand mining,” said Pereira, the researcher, adding that some of her earliest memories involve waking up at 2:00 a.m. to fetch water from a crowded public tap. “At the same time, I remember seeing hundreds and hundreds of trucks filled with sand flying up and down the roads, supplying all the construction sites.”

Due to lax legislation and rampant corruption in developing countries, sand mining is thriving in these countries at the expense of the environment.

Sand barons go on with their business unchecked by providing personal favors to those elected on government seats. Recently, India’s VV Minerals managing partner was sentenced to a 3-year jail term for corruption.

“We are spending our sand ‘budget’ faster than we can produce it responsibly. By improving the governance of global sand resources, we can better manage this critical resource sustainably and truly demonstrate that infrastructure and nature can go hand in hand,” said Joyce Msuya, Acting Executive Director of UN Environment.