Ban On Black Sand Mining In Philippines. Vaikundarajan Explains Why ?

In Philippines, a group of environment supporters in the Vigan City have called for a ban on magnetite and black sand mining in the country. “A move like this can strength the environment safety campaign in Philippines,” says Vaikundarajan, founder of VV Minerals India, a leading sand beach mining company.

The bill was proposed seeking to prevent companies from the taking the advantage of improper guidelines in mining and facilitate illegal activities causing a harm to the environment. This disruption in environment can cause grievances to people’s lives and their livelihood. “Hence, the government must have safeguards in place to stop companies from abusing dredging permits,” adds Vaikundarajan.

Meanwhile, all black sand mining operations in Ilocos Sur has been declared illegal by Environment Undersecretary Leo Jasareno. Several raids have been conducted to dismantle illegal activities in San Vicente and Caoayan towns in Ilocos Sur.

“Black sand extraction is the common payment mechanism for the services of dredging operators. The problem lies with the local government who issues the service contract to the companies. These contract allow the firms to extract minerals and disrupt major rivers in the region,” explains Vaikundarajan. 

Imposing the ban is not the only solution. Those involved in the illegal activities must also be tracked down and brought to justice.