An official in Jiujiang, Jiangxi Province, said on last Friday that sand mining is now prohibited on the riverbed to prevent flooding and for shipping safety, but such illegal activities are still rampant along the river.

More than 20 sand mining boats were found recently at the site neighboring Jiangsu and Anhui provinces, which first imposed the ban.

The loading capacity of each boat was more than 60 tons, the official said, and if all the boats were loaded, the riverbed would have been emptied a total of 150 cubic meters.

If these illegal practices continue, shipping and dike safety would be severely threatened, and shipping accidents and incidence of dike-breaking would increase on the river, he said.

Illegal sand mining started in late 1980s. The sand miners selected the Yangtze River as a bountiful resource of good-quality sand grit, and it has been excessively plundered in recent years, he said.

As an important component of the riverbed, sand grit is of great significance for maintaining the river conditions, the official said.

(eastday.com 06/18/2001)