Construction company turns mangrove forest into a dumping ground for construction waste.

(Baonghean.vn) - A large amount of waste removed from old roads by Company 484 is being dumped into the Săng Lẻ forest, affecting the environment of this special-use forest.

Watch trucks dumping construction waste in the sandalwood forest:

The scraped-out materials from the road surface, dumped by Company 484, are located within the Tương Dương sandalwood forest. Photo: Hồ Phương

Currently, National Highway 7A, the section from km 117 in Bai Xa village, Tam Quang commune to km 137 in Quang Phuc village, Tam Dinh commune (Tuong Duong district), is undergoing maintenance and repair. Company 484 Joint Stock Company is the contractor for the project. The construction period is from February 20, 2017 to June 20, 2017.

During construction, a large quantity of excavated materials from the old road surface, including soil, rocks, and asphalt, was dumped by Company 484 into the Săng Lẻ forest area in Quang Thịnh village, Tam Đình commune, Tương Dương district.

Some large trees were "surrounded" by this hard material. Photo: Ho Phuong

Dozens of cubic meters of debris scraped from the road surface have been dumped into the forest, penetrating deep inside. This has been going on for several days. The roots of some large trees in the forest are completely covered by the scraped material.

Mr. Vi Van Thang, Chairman of the Tam Dinh Commune People's Committee, said: "In the past, the 484 Joint Stock Company did not notify or submit any written request to dump waste or materials in the Săng Lẻ forest area. Even if they had requested permission, we would not have agreed because this is a special-use forest, playing an important role in the natural landscape of the commune and the district."

The material was scraped off from the old asphalt road surface. Photo: Ho Phuong

Mr. Thang added that the excavated materials are rocks, asphalt, and soil scraped from the old road surface. These are hard materials, and the asphalt in particular makes the surface rough and can kill trees in the areas where these materials fall. Previously, the commune had sent people to remind the construction unit about this, but they did not comply.

The Tuong Duong sandalwood forest covers an area of ​​over 70 hectares and is managed by 11 households in Quang Thinh village. It is considered the most beautiful sandalwood forest in Indochina. The forest plays a crucial role in creating the natural landscape for the commune, district, and Nghe An province. Therefore, Nghe An province reclassified this forest from a production forest to a special-use forest decades ago.

The beauty of the Tuong Duong sandalwood forest during the autumn leaf fall. Photo: Ho Phuong

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Nguyen Van Hai, Chairman of the People's Committee of Tuong Duong district, said that the district will send the Tuong Duong Forest Protection Department and the commune to the area to investigate, and if the incident is confirmed, the district will handle it immediately.

Ho Phuong