Illegal sand mining is apparently going on unabated in Jembrana, West Bali.
The sand, mined from the region’s beaches, is sold not only to Bali, but also onwards to Java, according to reports.
“Illegal miners are emboldened. They used to only dredge at night, but now they just do it during the day,” a local resident of Pekutan Village, who wished not to be named, told Antara Bali.
The resident said that trucks were hauling off sand on a daily basis and he suspects that the miners didn’t work under fear of getting caught because the access road is a small and narrow dirt path.
And though traditional village officials have tried to stop the perpetrators in the past from the environmentally destructive practice, the miners remain undeterred and only will briefly pause their actions if asked to stop, according to the resident.
“If one is caught, they usually take a break from dredging the sand. But not for long, then they start again.”
A decree between indigenous village leadership and Pekutan officials was made some time ago banning sand mining from the area, writes Antara Bali, but enforcement is apparently weak.
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