Apr 1, 2015 3:30 AM

Gallery: Photos: Inside India's Illegal, Bloody Sand Mining Industry

Adam Ferguson
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Bangladeshi migrant workers unload sand from Indian-owned boats on the Thane Creek near Ghodbunder Village in Maharashtra, India.
Adam Ferguson
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Creeks like the Thane carry countless tons of sand far and wide, accumulating them in their beds, on their banks, and at the places where they meet the sea.

Adam Ferguson
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Workers wash Thane Creek sand before trucking it away.
Adam Ferguson
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Indian workers wash sand that has been loaded onto trucks after being mined from the Thane Creek near Ghodbunder Village in Maharashtra, India.

Adam Ferguson
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Indian workers crush stone into sand at an illegal mine near Raipur Village in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Adam Ferguson
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Illegal mines like this one near Raipur Village, India, are cropping up around the developing world.

Adam Ferguson
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Construction in Uttar Pradesh, India. Any building that needs concrete needs sand.
Adam Ferguson
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A view of an illegal sand mine on the bank of the Yamuna River in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Adam Ferguson
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An earthmover digs sand at an illegal sand mine on the Yamuna River in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Adam Ferguson
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A ferry full of passengers crosses from the site of an illegal sand mine on the bank of the Yamuna River in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Adam Ferguson
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Raipur Village, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Adam Ferguson
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Outside the home where Paleram Chauhan, a local opposing illegal sand mining, was murdered in Raipur Village, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Adam Ferguson
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Indian workers wash stone before it gets crushed into sand at an illegal mine near Raipur Village.
Adam Ferguson
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A worker packs a truckload of sand near Raipur Village.

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