People remove the sand to sell but this endangers flood-control embankments and water flow on major rivers.

Earlier this month, Kuang Shaotao, the official at the Ministry of Water Resources, said: "The ministry will investigate the problem in China's 14 provinces to use as evidence when drafting the law."

Kuang urged the local authorities to look into the random and illegal extraction of sand from rivers, including sand excavation activities that take place outside permitted areas or time periods, and excavation without a license.

"Any sand excavation must be approved by the ministries of water resources, communications, and land and resources, with permits issued by all of them," Kuang stated.

"A sand-extraction ban has been implemented for more than two years by some provinces, such as Jiangsu and Anhui, along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze - China's longest river - to prevent more damage being caused," Kuang told a press conference in Beijing.

A special rule governing sand extraction on the river also came into effect at the beginning of this year.

Under the rule, the first of its kind in China, illegal sand excavation faces heavy fines of up to 300,000 yuan (US$36,140) and the confiscation of income and boats.

The Ministry of Water Resources has issued a circular urging the relevant authorities to tighten their control and administration over the extraction of sand from rivers, particularly illegal extraction on major watercourses using powerful suction pumps.

Controlled sand excavation and quarrying on watercourses facilitate speeding up the discharge of floods, experts say.

The random extraction of sand, however, has caused some serious hazards on rivers, with riverbeds cut irregularly and the stability of the river affected, they warned.

Excessive sand extraction has caused some sections of flood-control embankments to collapse and poses a threat to the safety of bridges and other structures across rivers.

There have been repeated shipwrecks and crashes with heavy casualties and economic damage on rivers due to sand-extraction boats jamming major watercourses in recently years, according to the Ministry of Water Resources yesterday.

Disputes over illegal sand extraction from cross-border rivers in different areas have affected public security. Some organized criminal gangs have been found to have a finger in the profit-making pie.

(China Daily August 8, 2002)