Villages in India rely on rivers, which in turn rely on sand to act as a regulator of the river’s flow. However, in recent years, India has had a large problem with sand thieves. Locals refer to the people involved in this thievery as “sand mafia”, as it is believed that capitalists, mobsters, and politicians are all a part of covering up the issue. Sand is a large part of making concrete, and the focus in India has more recently turned to urbanization. Sand has been taken to use in the building of bridges, skyscrapers, and apartment buildings.
This has had a massive impact on villages around the rivers. The taking of the sand has resulted in a drop of the water table, and wells have begun to dry up. It has also washed the water out of rice paddies, the designated land areas used to grow rice. Bridges even run the risk of collapsing, as a result of the weakened foundations due to lack of sand. What most people don’t realize is that India uses sand as a main construction material, as it is versatile, strong, and cheap. It is debated amongst the locals whether the benefits of using sand to build are worth the problems they are causing. From the outside, fighting over sand seems silly. In reality, it’s a large part of everyday life in other countries.