This book addresses most of the environmental impacts of sand mining
from small rivers The problems and solutions addressed in this book are
applicable to all rivers that drain through densely populated tropical
coasts undergoing rapid economic growth. Many rivers in the world are
drastically being altered to levels often beyond their natural
resilience capability. Among the different types of human interventions,
mining of sand and gravel is the most disastrous one, as the activity
threatens the very existence of river ecosystem. A better understanding
of sand budget is necessary if the problems of river and coastal
environments are to be solved.