Illustrative image (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Nightafter night, thousands of cubic metres of sand and gravel have been illegallymined from a portion of the Cau River, causing erosion and affecting the dykesystem for 200ha of agricultural land, online newspaper phapluatplus.vn reported.
The paper’s reporterswitnessed the illegal mining at the section of Cau River that passes Coc Luongvillage of Tan Hung commune in Soc Son district. Boats and barges operated undercover of darkness from 8 p.m. until early the next morning.
People on boats and bargesdug up sand and gravel close to the foot of the dyke, the newspaper reported.High-capacity sand sucking equipment operated regularly. At night, a barge tookaway hundreds of blocks of sand and grave.
Most of the illegal sandmining boats were here for “yellow” sand and gravel, a natural resource thatcurrently fetches a high price.
With such big benefits,more and more illegal sand miners appeared and employed tricks to evade theoversight of local authorities.
Nguyen Van Thu, Secretaryof the Tan Hung commune Party’s Committee, said owners of illegal sand miningboats were people from Coc Luong village. Their close ties to the areacomplicated the situation of illegal-mining, as they cannot be dismissed asoutsiders stealing local resources.
As a consequence of illegalsand mining, hundreds of meters of mudflats suffered erosion every day andnight.
The eroded areas were closeto the embankment, threatening the safety of the dyke system surrounding thetwo communes of Tan Hung and Trung Gia.
More dangerously, 200 ha ofcultivated land in four villages lie just a few meters from the foot of thedyke. The farmers of the land now face the prospect of a dyke break.
Thu said Coc Luong village’sseriously eroded area was formerly under the management of local households. Inrecent years, they agreed to sell to a local company.
The company was licensed toengage in agricultural production and trade, not sand mining.
It was impossible toresolve the current situation because local authorities lack police forces andequipment to conduct arrests and issue sanctions.-VNA
The paper’s reporterswitnessed the illegal mining at the section of Cau River that passes Coc Luongvillage of Tan Hung commune in Soc Son district. Boats and barges operated undercover of darkness from 8 p.m. until early the next morning.
People on boats and bargesdug up sand and gravel close to the foot of the dyke, the newspaper reported.High-capacity sand sucking equipment operated regularly. At night, a barge tookaway hundreds of blocks of sand and grave.
Most of the illegal sandmining boats were here for “yellow” sand and gravel, a natural resource thatcurrently fetches a high price.
With such big benefits,more and more illegal sand miners appeared and employed tricks to evade theoversight of local authorities.
Nguyen Van Thu, Secretaryof the Tan Hung commune Party’s Committee, said owners of illegal sand miningboats were people from Coc Luong village. Their close ties to the areacomplicated the situation of illegal-mining, as they cannot be dismissed asoutsiders stealing local resources.
As a consequence of illegalsand mining, hundreds of meters of mudflats suffered erosion every day andnight.
The eroded areas were closeto the embankment, threatening the safety of the dyke system surrounding thetwo communes of Tan Hung and Trung Gia.
More dangerously, 200 ha ofcultivated land in four villages lie just a few meters from the foot of thedyke. The farmers of the land now face the prospect of a dyke break.
Thu said Coc Luong village’sseriously eroded area was formerly under the management of local households. Inrecent years, they agreed to sell to a local company.
The company was licensed toengage in agricultural production and trade, not sand mining.
It was impossible toresolve the current situation because local authorities lack police forces andequipment to conduct arrests and issue sanctions.-VNA
VNA
