Selling sand.

Byline: S. Khan - Peshawar

SURPRISINGLY, sand is the second most used resource after water in the world. Thirty per cent of concrete is sand and, with new cities constructed around the world, the demand for sand is rising sharply.

Singapore and Cambodia export sand. Similarly, there is a sand shortage in India and a whole black market for sand has emerged. The world has started looking at replacing sand by other materials like plastic, rubber, ash, etc., while new methods of construction in concrete are being researched to help reduce the use of concrete and sand.

Pakistan is planning huge construction of dams and houses, requiring tonnes of concrete and sand. Therefore, Pakistan should be proactive and ban sand export, secure stock for large dam construction, check...