India

Can something found almost everywhere become valuable enough for people to risk their lives over it?

In India, enormous demand for construction sand has fuelled a widespread illegal trade. So-called sand mafias extract sand from rivers and riverbanks, and people trying to stop the operations have faced violence.

Remove too much sand and the river itself changes. Channels deepen, groundwater is affected and habitats disappear.

Sand is common. Usable sand is not unlimited.