Narrator: Sand is the most mined material in the world. And in this part of Africa, miners like Yona Elvis dive up to 300 times a day, wearing little to no clothes, scooping out buckets that are 33 pounds. Narrator: 60% of the sand used in concrete around the world comes from riverbeds like this one in Cameroon. And global demand for it has tripled in the last two decades. Satellite images from China show how it has changed the shape of a major body of water. And now experts say sand is being extracted much faster than it can be naturally replaced. So, how can the world avoid a sand crisis? And what does it mean for people like Elvis who rely on it to survive? Yona Elvis' home in southwestern Cameroon is made from the same sand he mines every day. He lives with his family and pet monkey, Curtis. Narrator: His home is just a short walk away

from the river quarry. There, he meets up with
his diving partner, Njombe. They can look out for each
other in case of emergencies. Narrator: The Wouri is one
of Cameroon's largest rivers, flowing for nearly 100 miles. It's known as the river of prawns, but fishermen are seeing a
decline due to sand mining. Once they reach the deepest part, Njombe pushes the stick into the ground to anchor the boat. Elvis jumps in wearing
nothing but skin-tight shorts to swim more easily in the water. Then he uses a steel bucket to scoop up sand from the river floor. The water is so murky,
Elvis can't see anything, even if he wore goggles. Narrator: After 12 years, he says he's mastered the
art of controlling his breath and conserving his energy. Narrator: Elvis and Njombe take turns scooping out
water that fills the canoe.

After two hours of diving and dumping, their exhaustion begins to show. Locals say deaths are common here, but because this is an unregulated profession, there are no official records on injuries or fatalities. Elvis nearly drowned once while helping a new diver. Narrator: By the end of Elvis' four-hour shift, he's excavated 9 tons of wet sand. That's equal to the weight of two African elephants. His boss, who owns the canoe, will sell this sand to local contractors and pay each of them about $12 a day. It's more than Elvis can make from fishing, but it's barely enough to afford three meals a day. Elvis and his family of four scrape by on this salary. Narrator: But some people are in the line of work for other reasons, like miner Nkong Jean Simon, who views it as a sport. He competes in local sand-mining tournaments.

and says he's earned
the title of champion. Narrator: Nkong spends 30
minutes exercising every morning, and even runs to the quarry. His role model is Africa's first heavyweight UFC
champion, Francis Ngannou. Today, he's seen as a
local hero in this region, someone who escaped a life of poverty to become one of the best
MMA fighters in the world. Narrator: Meanwhile,
Nkong continues to plunge 23 feet underwater to test his strength and earn enough cash for
him, his wife, and two kids. Some of the sand is exported
to countries like South Africa, the Central African
Republic, and even France. But as Cameroon is in the
midst of a construction boom, most of the sand is used
locally to make concrete. Demand for sand across the world has reached 50 billion tons per year, enough to build a nine-story
wall around the planet. The kind found in
riverbeds comes from rocks

that broke apart over millions of years as they traveled downstream. The coarse leftover grains are sharper and can carry more
moisture than desert sand, which makes them the
perfect binding material for construction. In 2022, the global market
for construction sand was worth about $23 billion. It is expected to grow to $46.5 billion by 2031. The United States is the
world's top producer, while China is the
biggest consumer of sand, but it also produces its own. Poyang Lake in Jiangxi Province is the biggest sand mine on the planet. Satellite images show just how much excavation has changed the northern branch of the country's largest freshwater lake, more than doubling its surface
area from 1997 to 2019. The lake is also a key flood
outlet for the Yangtze River and its tributaries, all of
which are mined excessively too. All this mining is causing
water levels in the lake

to fall abnormally during winter months, endangering aquatic animals like porpoises and populations of migratory birds. Other countries have similar problems. In Cambodia's Mekong River, barges scrape out more sand
than can be naturally replaced. This kind of large-scale dredging caused riverbanks to
collapse twice in 2021. Pascal: The river becomes deeper, and the way that the river will flow will either be faster or slower depending on how the shape is affected. And that has consequences on river flows and on potential flooding or drought. Narrator: Dams upstream
have also reduced the flow of sediment to the lower
part of the Mekong. Experts say mining is also to blame for erosion along Cambodia's coastline. Pascal: Anything that we
take out of the environment has an impact. If you take the sand from rivers, that sand will not reach the coastline, so eventually it will
lead to coastal erosion. Narrator: Mining is also taking a toll

on local fishing villages. Tin Yusos lives on a boat with
his wife and granddaughter. He makes a living fishing in the nearby Tonlé Sap and Mekong rivers. But he says work is tough lately because all the dredging has
disrupted the fish supply. Narrator: And because of
the receding water levels, his livelihood is at stake. Narrator: But here in Cambodia's capital, sand is fueling a housing boom. Since 2003, developers have filled in 60% of Phnom Penh lakes with sand to create prime real estate
for villas and shopping malls. But people who have lived and worked on these lakes
for decades now face eviction as trucks full of sand and gravel get closer and closer to their homes. Cambodia also exports sand. UN data for the past decade shows the country sent $27 million worth to countries like Singapore,
Thailand, and China. Rapid urbanization around the world is what's driving up demand.

In India, 25 to 30 people are migrating every minute from rural areas to cities. By 2030, the country's urban population is likely to reach 600 million, and they will all need housing. So India is excavating sand too. Here, miners extract it from the Beki River using basic equipment. It's polluting the water and destroying riverbeds and fish populations. But for some, mining for sand is as valuable as finding gold, and many work illegally in dangerous conditions because the money is worth it. They can earn up to $15 for a boatload of sand, which is four times the average daily wage in India. Now sand is being mined faster than it can be replaced through natural geological processes. So some companies are now manufacturing it to help reduce the impact on rivers and lakes. They crush bedrock, often from old construction sites or demolition waste. This creates particles about the same size as sand.

They're filtered and washed to remove impurities like silt or clay, which can damage concrete. That's why experts say manufactured sand is even better than natural sand for building. But crushing and grinding M-sand can pollute surrounding soil and water. And it's more cost-effective because it's often produced closer to construction sites, bringing down the cost of transportation. But back in Cameroon, people still continue to mine from riverbeds. Narrator: After a long day of work, his muscles are sore, so he kicks back and relaxes with his colleagues at the local bar. Narrator: And he brightens up when he thinks about what really motivates him to do this work.

Why Sand Divers Risk Their Lives 300 Times A Day For The World's Most Mined Resource

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