Sand: Digging into a crisis? https://t.co/h2NoNaRQGI pic.twitter.com/J1doztxSsB
— FRANCE 24 – Europe (@EuropeF24) June 10, 2022
On the French Atlantic coast, a small town of a few thousand inhabitants is rising up against a powerful opponent: two massive sand mines that have been nibbling away at their land.The mines, run by industry giants Lafarge and GSM, already cover a surface of 115 hectares. The two companies have applied for an extension permit that could see their quarries grow by several dozen hectares.A citizens' association, La tête dans le sable (Head stuck in the sand), is firmly standing in their way. Its members say they won't let their rural community get sacrificed for the sake of sand."The mining companies will dig huge holes. And that means the aquifer, water reserves found underground which are normally out of sight, are going to be burst open," explains Sylvain Jallot, the association's spokesperson.The non-profit claims that least 1 million cubic metres of water will evaporate from the surface each year, the equivalent of the domestic water consumption of about 30,000 people.The group has already organised several rallies and is leading a legal battle against the mining companies.
