Sierra Leone is a country blessed with many beautiful coastal beaches on

which tourists and even locals often spend leisure time with friends,

families and loved ones. This beauty is diminishing day-by-day because of

the indiscriminate and illegal sand mining activities.

Lakka beach for instance, located in the far western part of the capital

Freetown, was once an attractive centre, a beautiful beach for foreign

nationals and citizens, but its beauty have now gone to past and can only

be remembered by those who had experienced its beauty those days.

If you happen to visit this particular beach presently, the aftermath of this

illegal mining activity is clearly seen and really appalling. Many houses

and structures have been destroyed by erosion. Rocks that were hidden can

now be seen clearly. The Atlantic ocean is gradually encroaching into the

land destroying settlements and posing serious threats to the remaining

structures.

The more sand is tipped from these coastal beaches, the greater the effects,

which causes serious environmental destruction to houses, structures and

communities.