Sand demand doubles, outpacing river replenishment
Get the Health newsletter
Daily health & science — research, biotech, public health, the studies worth knowing. Free.
- Researchers reviewing data back to 1974 found that global sand and gravel demand has more than doubled since 2000, with 28 billion tonnes turned into concrete in 2024 alone.
- Asia accounts for more than 80% of current demand, driven by urban development and road-building across China and India.
- Riverbed extraction across Asia and Africa frequently exceeds natural sediment replacement severalfold, according to the study.
- Overextraction is causing weaker riverbanks, lower groundwater levels, coastal salt intrusion, and poorer water quality.
- The study recommends satellite imaging and river mapping to manage mining impacts, alongside efficiency gains and alternatives including processed construction waste, recycled glass, and treated bottom ash from waste incineration.
Why it matters: With 80% of demand concentrated in Asia and extraction outstripping natural replenishment by severalfold, water security for downstream communities in China and India is directly threatened — making the study's proposed satellite monitoring and alternative materials urgent tools for managing infrastructure growth without further degrading river systems.
Ask SkimNews
