River sand mining from the Maha Oya is the main source of income and a force that drives economic activity for residents along the river. This study takes place in Sri Lanka, there are three villages included in this project: Jambugaswatte, Janituspuraya and Thoppuwa. In Sri Lanka, sand serves as the main building material. It is used to make bricks, tiles, asphalt and concrete, therefore demanding a high market value. However, the over-extraction of sand comes along with significant environmental problems. These communities depend on the river in many ways and the health of the river directly corresponds to the health of the ecosystem as a whole. Along the Maha Oya two important elements of survival are in conflict with one another: residents simultaneously need a healthy, thriving ecosystem to live in, as well as economic opportunities. With support from the Environmental Foundation Ltd. (EFL)--a Sri Lankan environmental justice NGO--this study focuses on the complex situation with sand mining on the Maha Oya. Data for this study comes from fifteen formal interviews with a Sinhala-English translator. These interviews are used to address the two research questions for this project: how do village residents along the Maha Oya perceive sand mining? And what are the emotional, practical and theoretical responses of village residents to the effects of sand mining on their local ecosystems? In order to envision a sustainable future, it is vital to begin with a clear understanding of community perceptions of these complex issues, which are at the heart of this project.

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Thesis (M. Dev. (Planning and Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / Sand mining has grown popular in South African rural communities due to its increasing demand for building purposes in and around the surrounding villages as well as a source of income to the rural communities. Sand is an indispensable natural resource of any society around the world. For instance, the government has to deal with the frequent sand mining environmental effects and implement various strategies on how to deal with these effects to protect the environment. Although the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA) 107 of 1998 regulates sand mining, the illegal and unregulated rural sand mining is causing land degradation, creating unpleasant appearances, causing vulnerability to floods and pointing out the need for rehabilitation. Given the circumstances surrounding the issue of illegal sand mining in rural communities, this research is aimed at investigating the impact of illegal or legal sand mining on the environment looking at the land degradation and the importance of rehabilitating the area after use in Mentz village. The main objective of this research was to explore how sand mining causes land degradation and examining the significance of rehabilitation in sand mining. The methodology of the study was carried out using both quantitative and qualitative research design in a form of questionnaire surveys, oral interviews and field observations to collect the data. The sample was composed of the general members of the community, the chief and the sand miners. For data analysis, the study used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), IBM SPSS Statistics 25. The results indicated that sand mining causes 54.76% of the land degradation in South Africa. Furthermore, the research revealed that 30.95% of the land degradation was due to deforestation and 11.90% of Mentz land degradation was caused by overgrazing. Besides, an overwhelming 76.58% of the respondents agreed that land should be rehabilitated after sand mining processes.

Σκοπός της διατριβής είναι η διερεύνηση των τεχνικογεωλογικών συνθηκών στο Νομό Αχαΐας σχετικά με την αναζήτηση αδρανών υλικών για διάφορες χρήσεις. Εξετάζονται οι γενικές, γεωμετρικές, φυσικές και μηχανικές ιδιότητες των χαλαρών αποθέσεων του Νομού οι οποίες βρίσκονται σε αφθονία στην περιοχή και μπορούν να αποτελέσουν φυσικά κοιτάσματα απόληψης αδρανών υλικών χαμηλής ποιότητας και των ασβεστολιθικών σχηματισμών που χρησιμοποιούνται κατά βάση για την παραγωγή θραυστών αδρανών. Δημιουργήθηκε βάση δεδομένων με τη βοήθεια των Γεωγραφικών Συστημάτων Πληροφοριών όπου αποτυπώνονται σε χάρτες οι περιοχές που πληρούν τα κριτήρια για να χρησιμοποιηθούν ως πηγές λήψης αδρανών υλικών με στόχο την ορθολογική διαχείριση. Τα κυριότερα προβλήματα που παρουσιάζουν οι χαλαρές αδρομερείς αποθέσεις που εξετάστηκαν είναι το μεγάλο ποσοστό παιπάλης σε πολλές περιοχές καθώς και η παρουσία κερατολιθικού υλικού που φτάνει σε ποσοστό μέχρι και 23%. / In this thesis the engineering geological conditions in Achaia prefecture are examined, in order to find materials suitable for aggregates. The general, geometrical, physical and mechanical parameters of the sand and gravel deposits examined as they are in abundance in the wider area in order to locate areas suitable for the quarrying of low quality aggregates. Moreover limestone representative samples were examined as crushed stone aggregates. Issues such as location, abundance, type and quality and general characteristics of aggregate addressed using GIS technology, while because statutory regulations, technological capabilities and available funding change with time, the maps are designed to provide a resource data base that will be useful over the years. The main problems of the examined deposits are the localy high percentage of filler which deminish the results of the sand equivalent and the quite high percentage of chert content which deminish their density and increase their soundness.

MENVSC / Department of Geography and Geo-Information Sciences

<p> A large gravel pit at East Paris exposed 14m of Pleistocene braided outwash. Large scale longitudinal bars (30 - 400m long) were developed utilising irregular topographic highs (4 - 6m) of the basal gravels as Bar Cores. These bars prograded downstream by means of larce-scale cross-strata, periodically interupted by reactivation surfaces. Contemparaneous upstream addition of material took place by the migr ation of mixed sand and gravel bed-forms on the stoss-side of the bars. The gravel supply to the avalanche face of the major bars took the form of imbricated gravels which passed from the stoss-side, through the Bar Top, onto the Bar Front. Adjacent, sandy side-channels (4 -6m deep) exhibit a fining upward fill of trough cross beds, planar lamination and ripples; and interdigitated with the gravel bars alongside. </p> <p> Aggradation of the flood plain led to the extension of the Bar Top facies over the length of the bars, and then to the development of a Shallow-braided stream facies over the whole system. The latter is recognised by its smaller (less than 1m) bar forms composed of crossbedded gravel supplied by an imbricate gravel, and numerous small, sandy channel forms. </p> <p> At West Paris another large gravel pit exposed 6m of sandier, but stratigraphically equivalent deposits. Large scale side-bar accumulations (200-300m across) of gravel developed from river bank lateral accretion deposits. The downstream progradation was by lobes of cross-stratified and imbricated gravels, alternating with sand drapes of low flow stages. Sandy Side-channels (4m deep) developed between the gravel lobes and the accreting river bank. </p> <p> The concept of braid bar growth from a pre-existing form (bar core or river bank) is in contrast to the classic theory of development from a gravel lag. The differences may be due to depth relationships of the systems, which in this case may be the effect of position on the sandur surface. </p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

This study aimed to evaluate the ecological impacts of sand mining on the Mokolo River, in Lephalale. The study focused on the water quality, macroinvertebrates and physical disturbances as indicators in order to determine the ecological im-pacts of sand mining on the Mokolo River. The water quality variables, which this study entailed, were related to sand mining and other sources of pollution such as coal mining, power station industries, agriculture and wastewater treatment works on the Mokolo River. The water quality results for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total alkalinity (CaCO3), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), potassium (K), chloride (Cl), fluoride (F), sulphate (SO4) and nitrate (NO3-N) were not over the limits, however turbidity, total coliforms and E. coli were over the limits as per the Target Water Quality Guideline (TWQG). The River Health Programme (RHP) was done at upstream, sand mining and downstream areas in the Mokolo River using the South African Scoring System Version 5 (SASS5). The ecological status at the upstream and downstream areas changed from class C (March 2018) to class B (November 2018), indicating that the ecological status improved in those areas of the Mokolo River. However, at the sand mining area the ecological status has not improved and it was seriously modified due to the physical disturbance as a result of sand mining. Ecological impacts, such as the removal of marginal and riparian vegetation, erosion, disturbed riverbed, undercutting and collapse of riverbanks, loss of adjacent land, river deepened, river widened, water pools, in stream sand stockpiles and river diversions, were determined at the sand mining area. No physical disturbances at the upstream and downstream areas were determined. The findings of this study indicate that the ecological impacts of change in water quality at the upstream and downstream areas was due to high turbidity, Total coli-forms and E. coli. The absence of sensitive macroinvertebrates and loss of ma-croinvertebrates and the physical disturbances within the Mokolo River was be-cause of sand mining. The study indicates that sand mining has negative impacts on the water quality, water quantity, macroinvertebrates and physical characteris-tics of the Mokolo River. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)