Investigation reveals businessman's shocking operation in small town

Lots of people see the world's natural resources as things of beauty — but some people just see a pile of money waiting to be cashed in.

At least, that's how one businessman in Hyderabad, India, saw his local riverbed's sand before authorities stepped in.

A regional task force and an agricultural officer found that sandtrader K. Santhosh Singh had overstepped various rules of the trade. His violations included storing and selling sand from the Musi River without the proper permission and papers from mining authorities, as well as profiting off unsuspecting customers with above-market prices, according to Deccan Chronicle.

Singh was arrested, and the officials confiscated 60 tonnes (66 tons) of his sand stash. That's over 132,000 pounds of sand, which is worth roughly $1,400, per the report.

Now, you might be thinking, it's just sand, and he's just trying to earn a living — what's the big deal?

This situation gets real when you consider where that sand was coming from and what will happen without it. Environmental regulations — like how much of a resource someone can extract and sell — exist so that we don't disrupt natural ecosystems too much. We've tipped places over the limit before, and the results haven't been pretty.

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When it comes to sand specifically, overmining can cause a river habitat to erode, weaken storm protection that humans rely on, and make it harder for a diverse group of creatures to make it their home, according to the World Economic Forum.

Nearly 50 different birds have been spotted at the Musi river in the last few years, per eBird — all of which could be impacted if the habitat is destroyed.

Harvesting an abundance of sand might seem like a small thing, but even small disturbances can throw off an environment's natural balance. Plus, mining one spot frequently over time is no small disturbance.

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