No more sand from rivers

[NewsWhore]

In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of the Environment issued a total ban on the extraction of sand and gravel from the nation's river beds and river banks. The government gives the companies and persons currently engaged in this practice 90 days to close their extraction operations. Decree 16-2007 establishes that the mining for sand and gravel will have to be carried out at least 150 meters from the riverbanks. The decree argues that the Nizao River must be preserved at all costs due to its importance as a source of fresh water for the population. The decree reminds the companies that the Public Works Ministry authorized mining along the Nizao River in the 1980s, shielded by Law 123-71, under the pretext of establishing a deeper main stream.

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