Illegal Sand Dredging on China’s Yangtze River Thrives Due to Construction Demand

Illegal Sand Dredging on China’s Yangtze River Thrives Due to Construction Demand
Dredgers excavate sand at river beach of Yangtze River in Chongqing Municipality, China, on Feb. 3, 2007. Getty Images
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Illegal sand mining in the Yangtze River has continued unfettered despite the fact that Chinese authorities have banned it many years ago.

Two illegal sand dredges—each loaded with about 700 tons of sand—were captured by Chinese authorities in the Hannan district of Wuhan City, Hubei Province, off the coast of the Yangtze River, on March 28.