Saudi from the desert buys sand from Australia, China and Belgium.
Saudi Arabia is one of the countries in the world where most of the areas are desert. 95 percent is barren. The largest sand desert here is Rub al-Khali. Sand is seen everywhere, despite this, Saudi calls from China and Australia. This may seem shocking, but the reason behind this is very interesting.
Saudi Arabia is working on its vision 2030. Whose purpose is to make the future city in the sand. The kind of sand needed to complete this vision cannot be fulfilled from the Saudi desert. Now the question is, what is it in the sand of Australia and China which is not in the Saudi desert.
Why Australia-China sand is necessary for Saudi?
Saudi’s sand is different. Its particles are very round and smooth. This is because for years, the winds of the desert have made it shape by rubbing the particles. This is better for concrete production. But when it comes to building the construction of skyscrapers, urban areas, then an angular sand is needed.
Such sand is brought from rivers, lakes and seaside. It is considered perfect to strengthen construction by tying particles. According to the United Nations and UNEP (UNEP), about 50 billion tonnes of sand is used every year worldwide.
Australia the largest supplier
Australia is at the forefront of high quality sand. According to OEC World, in 2023, Australia exported $ 273 million sand. In 2023, Saudi Arabia imported $ 1,40,000 sand from Australia. The construction here needs a reliable material. Saudi believes that he does not want to leave any shortage about his vision. The mega infrastructure considers the project to be necessary to take the economy forward. This includes Saudi’s Neom and Red C project.
A large amount of concrete will be required for this project, but it requires high quality sand for which Saudi is dependent on another country.
Saudi not alone
Saudi is not alone in this case. The Gulf countries also include UAE and Qatar which import sand from other countries. UNEP 2024 reports say, rapidly growing urban construction in Gulf countries is increasing the demand for high quality sand. The report also warns that in this way the need for increasing sand is giving rise to a new problem. Its increasing mining to meet the need can pose a new threat to the environment. However, some countries are paying attention to its option and are using ground rocks in construction. However, no major option has been prepared so far. This is the reason that at present, sand countries are asking for sand from other countries for big construction.
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