Sand Mining Banned in Yangtze River

Anhui province in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River recently imposed a ban on sand mining in the riverbed to prevent flooding and for shipping safety.

Sand mining is now prohibited by all three provinces in the lower reaches of China's longest river, with Jiangxi and Jiangsu province's having already imposed the bans.

The Yangtze River has bountiful resources of good-quality sand grit, which has been excessively plundered in recent years. As a result, there have been several cases of shipping accidents and dike-breaking cases on the river.

As an important component of the riverbed, sand grit is of great significance for maintaining the river conditions.

The ban will last for two years, during which time mining equipment will be removed from ships and violators will be fined.



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