Black sand mining to be banned in the Philippines

The senator of the Philippines Leila de Lima plans to ban the extraction of magnetite, commonly known as black sand, with a senate bill.

Senate Bill 960, if passed, will require mining firms to dispose dredge materials in government-controlled landfills to prevent black sand from being passed off as waste, something she has described as “one form of environmental plunder.”

“Erosion has been noted in areas near black sand mining operations. Communities are slowly crumbling because of magnetite mining. In communities within these mining operations, there have been cases of severe eye infections and hernia. Farmers and fisher folk now yield smaller harvests and catch,” she said.

Leila believes that a lot of mining operators are taking advantage of the lack of any laws prohibiting black sand mining.

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