Illegal Sand Mining Threatens Morocco’s Coastline, Fuels Construction Boom

It all started with a report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) on the overexploitation of sand in the world. Indeed, published in early May, the said report exposed the dangerous work of the "sand mafias" which, in the long term, if nothing is done to stop the bleeding, could seriously undermine the very survival of the human species.

The essential point to remember is that the "sand mafias" operate in the disappearance of Moroccan beaches, against a backdrop of coastal development. Indeed, according to the report, "half of the sand used each year in construction in Morocco, or 10 million cubic meters, is extracted illegally," reports AFP.

Jawad Hadi, 33, is an environmental activist. He heads the National Association for the Protection of the Environment and the Coastline (ANPEL). According to him, "on the entire coastline of the city, the dunes have disappeared," he protests, scrutinizing the coast of Mohammedia, the city near Casablanca (west), where the Monica beach is located.

The modus operandi of the plunderers is simple: "they come in the middle of the night, especially in the low tourist season," says a resident, in front of her comfortable house, near the Monica beach, located in Casablanca (west). In recent years, the construction of tourism-related infrastructure has mobilized the authorities of the Kingdom. This, according to UNEP, causes the shrinking of beaches, not to mention the eroding coasts. Yet, adds the UN organization, "the continued construction risks leading to the destruction of the main natural attraction for visitors: the beaches themselves".

The theft of sand on beaches or at the level of coastal dunes is punishable by 1 to 5 years in prison. However, Jawad Hadi claims that the traffic is structured by organized networks. A real "mafia", with "protection at all levels". "They don’t pay anything at all because everything is done in cash and there is a lot of money laundering in this traffic," he denounces.