Heartbreaking consequences of illegal sand and gravel mining in riverbeds.

(Baonghean.vn) - Thanh Chuong is one of the four districts and cities that the Provincial People's Committee has directed to rectify.Activities involving the extraction, stockpiling, and transportation of sand and gravel are carried out along the Lam River. However, illegal sand and gravel mining continues in this locality; and tragic labor accidents have even occurred there…

Heartbreaking story

Going back to Dung town, Thanh Chuong district, to Block 6, is where readers learned about the tragic drowning of Mr. Tran Van Vinh and Mrs. Ngu Thi Nhung's son, a second-year university student working in sand mining to earn money for the family. When asked, the locals readily provided directions and expressed their sympathy, saying, "We feel sorry for that studious boy who cared so much for his parents..."

Mr. Vinh and Mrs. Nhung lived in a small house tucked away at the end of the village, close to the sandy riverbank, near the new Dung Bridge. Seeing strangers visiting, Mrs. Ngu Thi Nhung covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably; while Mr. Vinh silently went inside to light an incense stick at the altar of his only son.

Mr. Vinh and Mrs. Nhung stand before the altar of their only son, Tran Van Duc.

The story of the accident involving Tran Van Duc – the son of Mr. Vinh and Mrs. Nhung – is heartbreaking. Duc was born in 1994. After completing his military service, he passed the entrance exam to Vinh University, majoring in Land Management. Their family was poor; Mr. Vinh had suffered from heart disease for six years, confined to the house all day because he couldn't do heavy work. Therefore, the burden of supporting the family fell entirely on Mrs. Nhung's frail shoulders.

Every day, at dawn, Mrs. Nhung follows the construction crews to do the strenuous work of a laborer. When there is no work, she follows the boats and barges that need labor to help out.

April 8, 2016 was a fateful day for Mrs. Nhung and Mr. Vinh's family. At that time, Tran Van Duc was in his second year of university. Out of love for his parents, and taking advantage of the two-day weekend (Saturday and Sunday), Duc told his mother, "If anyone in the neighborhood needs labor, please help me find work so I can earn money to support the family."

Block 6 in Dung town was formerly a fishing village; some families have now switched to sand and gravel mining along the Lam River. Among them is the household of Mrs. Tran Thi Dao, the owner of a sand and gravel mining boat in Thanh Tien commune, who needs workers. A few days ago, Mrs. Dao had asked Mrs. Nhung to find work, so, given her son's intention, Mrs. Nhung spoke with Mrs. Dao to allow Duc to work.

With Mrs. Dao's permission, at 5 a.m. on April 9th, Duc went to work in the sand industry and ate lunch there. Around 4 p.m. that same day, while Mrs. Nhung was working as a construction laborer, someone came to inform her, "Your son went out this time, and we don't know what happened." Rushing back home, Mrs. Nhung saw a large crowd of people in a commotion at the foot of the new Dung Bridge. Upon arriving home and seeing everyone setting up tarpaulins, Mrs. Nhung's hands and feet trembled, and she collapsed upon hearing the news, "Duc has drowned!"

After taking care of Duc, Mr. and Mrs. Nhung and Vinh finally investigated the cause of their son's death. The owner of the sand and gravel dredging boat, Mrs. Tran Thi Dao, said that Duc went down to get the boat's anchor and slipped and fell; she threw a container to him, but he couldn't reach it and drowned… “Even though our house is near the river and he served in the military, my son didn't know how to swim. I told Mrs. Dao to only let him work with sand on shore, why did she send him into the water and cause this…?” – Mrs. Nhung sobbed.

This is the location where Tran Van Duc fell into the river, leading to his tragic death.

According to Mr. Vinh, when Duc passed away, a delegation of district officials, along with Thanh Chuong Sand and Gravel Exploitation and Transportation Joint Stock Company, visited, offered condolences, and provided the family with 20 million VND in support; while Mrs. Dao's family only visited a few times in a perfunctory manner. "Once, they came and left two envelopes on Duc's altar and told the family, 'There's 10 million VND in there.'"

Mr. Vinh expressed his frustration: "Ms. Dao's family is so heartless. They need labor, and we need jobs. What happened was something nobody wanted, but they want to shirk responsibility. We need our child, not their money. They should act with humanity and responsibility... Right now, we are mourning our child, and we don't want to say much more..."

The problem of illegal sand and gravel mining.

Thanh Tien commune is only a little over 10km from Dung town. Along the Lam River section passing through Thanh Tien, there are still two large sand and gravel trading docks with towering sand cranes and trucks constantly moving in and out. On the river, there are still numerous dredging vessels, boats, and dredgers busily transporting sand back and forth.

Lam River (area bordering the three communes of Thanh Van, Thanh Linh, and Thanh Tien) at the end of May 2016.

According to officials from Thanh Tien commune, the area of ​​the Lam River where the sand-dredging boats are operating is the border region of three communes: Thanh Tien, Thanh Van, and Thanh Linh. The two business sites belong to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Hai and Mr. Nguyen Xuan Nga (both registered residents of Dung town).

Mr. Nguyen Trong Bay, Chairman of the Thanh Tien Commune People's Committee, said that the owners of these two sand and gravel business sites are employees of Thanh Chuong Sand and Gravel Exploitation and Transportation Joint Stock Company. Following directives from the province and district, the commune authorities have regularly inspected the sites, drawn up reports, and forced both companies to commit to dismantling the cranes and ceasing operations. "We just drew up a report requesting them to cease operations a few days ago..." Mr. Bay explained.

According to Mr. Duong Le Gia, Deputy Head of the Thanh Tien Commune Police, the illegal sand and gravel mining and trading still occurs, mainly at night, in the border area between the three communes. The Thanh Tien Commune Police, with their local jurisdiction, report any violations to the District Police, who then coordinate the handling of the situation. “The district's task force has inspected and seized dredging vessels and issued fines, but the clandestine mining continues,” Mr. Gia stated.

Regarding the death of Tran Van Duc, according to Mr. Gia, upon receiving the information, the Thanh Tien commune police immediately went to the scene. Those who witnessed the incident informed the commune police that the cause of the accident was that Duc was standing at the stern of the boat; when the engine started, it jolted violently, causing him to fall into the river and drown. “The boat was carrying heavy loads of sand and gravel, so when the engine started, it created a large amount of water pressure, making it highly likely that he was swept away by the current…” – Mr. Gia stated.

Sand dredging boats continue to operate in the Lam River, and sand and gravel businesses still operate along its banks.

Accompanying Mr. Duong Le Gia to the scene, the location where Tran Van Duc drowned was not far from two sand and gravel business docks. This area had sand dunes rising on both banks and in the middle of the river. And, at nearly 12 noon, sand-dredging boats were anchored and transporting sand busily; as if the Provincial People's Committee had never issued any directive to curb illegal sand and gravel mining.

Upon investigation, it was confirmed that Thanh Chuong district has indeed taken action to address illegal sand and gravel mining. On April 8th, a task force from Thanh Chuong district apprehended six boats engaged in illegal sand and gravel mining in the Thanh Tien and Thanh Van communes; and on April 28th, fined the boat owners, including Mr. Nguyen Van Tham, Mr. Nguyen Van Hue, Mr. Nguyen Van Ha, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Tu, Mr. Tran Dinh Loi, and Mr. Nguyen Van Duc (all residing in K6, Dung Town), a total of 42 million VND. Around midway...In May, the task force continued its inspection and apprehended two illegal sand and gravel dredging vessels at the foot of the Rộ and Rú Nguộc bridges. A report is currently being prepared outlining a potential fine of approximately 12 million VND.

But given what is happening, and the accident that led to the death of student Tran Van Duc, it is clear that illegal sand and gravel mining on the river continues; and is giving rise to unpredictable consequences.

Following the inspection of sand and gravel mining, stockpiling, and transportation activities along the Lam River, the Provincial People's Committee has proposed solutions to improve management; in particular, it has assigned relevant departments to coordinate with the People's Committees of Hung Nguyen, Nam Dan, Thanh Chuong districts and Vinh City to review and develop a plan for sand and gravel business wharves and yards in order to proceed with licensing according to regulations.

Therefore, Thanh Chuong district needs to accelerate the implementation of tasks assigned by the province; at the same time, maintain strict discipline and prevent the recurrence of illegal sand and gravel mining; and severely punish those who use labor for illegal sand and gravel mining.

Ha Giang