Nigeria, May 13 -- The caution came in a fresh report released by the United Nations Environment Programme titled "Sand and Sustainability: An Essential Resource for Nature and Development."

According to the report, the relentless appetite for sand, fuelled by population explosion, rapid urbanisation, economic expansion and massive infrastructure projects, is stretching sustainable supplies to breaking point and placing ecosystems and livelihoods in the firing line.

Painting a grim picture of the growing crisis, UNEP stated that humanity's dependence on sand cuts across both construction and environmental systems.

"We depend on 'dead' sand for infrastructure and 'alive' sand for natural services," the agency said.

The report revealed...