Pumping adulterated sand into construction markets mobilizes Interior Ministry interests

Agadir24

The General Inspectorate of Territorial Administration has opened extensive investigations into the growing activity of units mixing sand with soil and re-distributing it in the markets, through random spaces for selling building materials.

According to informed sources, initial investigation data confirmed that these suspicious activities were linked to an organized network that had drained tons of soil from vast forest areas, and relied on machinery used to sift, grind and mix large quantities of adulterated sand.

The same sources reported that the investigations focused on identifying the sites of soil extraction and the logistical means used to transport it to the mixed sand processing and production units, noting that coordination had already taken place with the interests of the National Agency for Water and Forests, where the inspectors obtained accurate data on soil extraction operations monitored in more than one site, especially around Casablanca, Rabat and Kenitra.

The same research found that prepared sand is being marketed at lower prices than the regular product in the markets, which has increased demand for it to a record level in the recent period, coinciding with the rise in prices of various building materials.

The same sources confirmed that the inspection services of the Ministry of Interior have monitored the exploitation of “adulterated sand” in random construction activities on the outskirts of cities, as well as self-construction sites in many areas, especially in new residential subdivisions.

Examinations conducted on samples of this sand revealed significant risks to the safety of buildings and their residents, due to its weak cohesion and its impact on climatic factors in the short term, as it exposes the walls to cracks and collapses at any moment.

According to the aforementioned sources, the suspicious activities of this network trading in “adulterated sand” have mobilized the interests of the Ministry of Interior, which recently launched a broad monitoring campaign on random spaces for selling building materials, widely spread on the outskirts of major cities, in the context of a new plan to dry up the sources of random construction.