Beneath the Sands, published in 2023, is a collaborative global investigation by the Environmental Reporting Collective (ERC), bringing together journalists and newsrooms from 12 countries to examine the global sand-mining industry and its environmental and human costs.
This investigation looked at the growing demand for sand, the communities and ecosystems affected by extraction, illegal trade and organized crime, and the challenges of regulating a rapidly expanding global industry. Reporting spanned across Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and the United States.
In Sri Lanka, CIR reporter Tharushi Pitigala reported from Mannar, where Australian mining company Titanium Sands Ltd and its local subsidiaries were busy conducting exploratory drilling for ilmenite-bearing mineral sands. The investigation examined concerns raised by residents over access to private land, potential impacts on groundwater and the prospect of mining in the area.
The Sri Lankan reporting was part of the wider Beneath the Sands investigation, which documents how the global demand for sand is reshaping landscapes, livelihoods and communities.
Read the full investigation:https://www.beneaththesands.earth/
Banner Image: A screenshot of Beneath the Sands website.
