Urgent land reclamation after mineral exploitation in Que Phong

(Baonghean) - Following National Highway 16 towards the border commune of Tri Le (Que Phong), both sides of the road are exposed wastelands and landslide-prone hills. Local people said that these were left behind by mineral companies digging and exploiting iron ore many years ago.

Current Status

Going up Bu Chong Cha slope to Tri Le commune at the end of March 2017, right at the beginning of Quang river bridge, I saw a large banner hanging on the side of the road with the words "Mineral exploitation in any form is prohibited. No entry unless authorized". Following the small path under the banner for about a hundred meters, a wasteland of several hectares appeared. On the land there was a factory with ore screening equipment, two broken "tiger" trucks and a lot of raw ore, a pond containing waste sludge and pits showing that there was manual digging and mining of ore.

According to the local people, this wasteland was originally the iron ore screening area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company. This company transported ore from the mountain, belonging to Na Nieng village, down to screen. “Around 2011 - 2012, Ngoc Sang Company Limited worked continuously. By 2014 - 2015, they stopped working. There are several companies here working on iron ore. They have been working for a long time, and they have left Tri Le for a long time...” - a resident of Tri Le commune said.

So why is there a banner: Prohibiting mineral mining in any form...? "Because people come to this area to collect open-pit tin ore. Around September - October 2016, there were many people coming to collect ore in this area, sometimes more than several hundred people. Because of the chaos and the risk of disrupting security and order, the district and commune authorities banned it..." - this person replied.

The ore screening area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company Limited is littered with raw ore. Photo: Nhat Lan

From the Song Quang bridge, looking diagonally to the right, across a wide field are the mountains, occasionally appearing large areas of yellow-brown landslides of rocks and soil. When asked, the Tri Le people said, "That is the Na Nieng village area. It is where several companies exploit iron ore..."

Mr. Luong Van Man - a cadastral officer of Tri Le commune, led the way to the mine location of the Central General Construction Company. Here, on the mountain slopes, there are deep and wide mining pits containing water that look like large ponds of several hundred square meters. Around the mining pits, the ore transport roads and waste rock are piled up and messy. Located on the high mountain slopes, the mining pits are like "water bomb" bags and the risk of landslides of waste rock to the villages at the foot of the mountain is obvious...

Many potential consequences

It is known that in Tri Le commune there are 4 enterprises exploiting iron minerals including Lam Le Phong Joint Stock Company, Rural Development and Construction Investment Company 171, Ngoc Sang Company Limited, Central General Construction Company Limited; in addition, Quang Phong commune has Tan Hong Company exploiting gold ore.

However, the mining licenses of these enterprises have expired for a long time but they have not been able to close the mines. The Provincial People's Committee, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, and the Que Phong District People's Committee have urged the mines to be closed and the environment restored, but the enterprises have not complied.

Que Phong District People's Committee confirmed that the mining areas and ore screening areas "are at risk of landslides, causing insecurity and affecting the environment of the mining area" (quoted from Official Dispatch No. 165/TB-UBND dated November 24, 2016 of Que Phong District People's Committee).

According to an officer of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, around October 2016, people illegally mined tin ore in the screening area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company Limited and dumped it into the Quang Dai River. In addition to the risk of resource loss, it also caused environmental pollution and disrupted security and order.

Therefore, the District People's Committee has established a working group to coordinate with Tri Le commune to prevent and propagate people and traders from illegally exploiting and trading minerals; the banner "Mineral exploitation in any form is prohibited. No entry without permission" is to remind people...

According to a leader of Que Phong District People's Committee, the district has repeatedly reported to competent authorities and relevant sectors about the general situation of the mineral mines of the above 5 enterprises and the possible consequences.

The screening area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company Limited has many sludge ponds. Photo: Nhat Lan

As for the mining and ore screening area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company Limited, in Official Dispatch No. 934/UBND.TN dated September 20, 2016, the People's Committee of Que Phong district assessed: "The mining area of ​​Ngoc Sang Company Limited after the mining process has formed pits with a depth of 1.5 - 2.5m, about 50 - 70m wide, forming water pockets in the rainy season, causing danger to people and livestock of people living around the mine area.

The iron ore selection and processing area still has some equipment, machinery and factory systems; the sludge in the reservoir and settling pond has not been dredged, moved, leveled and restored by the company. The lake bank system has been eroded, there is a risk of the lake breaking, dragging the waste rock and soil into the river and surrounding residential land, causing serious environmental pollution...

According to this leader, at the end of 2016, the district proposed the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to direct enterprises to strictly comply with mine closure; environmental remediation and restoration; equipment and machinery relocation, dredging and sludge removal... In case enterprises do not comply, they will be strictly handled according to the provisions of the law and the district will be allowed to proactively handle the work to avoid possible environmental incidents.

Will resolve once and for all

According to the Department of Mineral Resources - Department of Natural Resources and Environment, on March 29, 2017, the department coordinated with the People's Committee of Que Phong district to inspect the site of mineral exploitation sites that need to close mines and restore the environment in Tri Le commune. Thereby, determining the current status of the licensed areas for Lam Le Phong Joint Stock Company (Ta Pan village area, Tri Le commune, mining area of ​​19.1 ha, expired from February 16, 2014); Rural Development and Construction Investment Company 171 (Na Nieng area, Tri Le commune, mining area of ​​52.09 ha, expired from November 11, 2015); Ngoc Sang Company Limited (Tri Le commune, mining area of ​​10.3 ha, expired from December 22, 2015); Central Region General Construction Company Limited (Na Nieng area, Tri Le commune, mining area of ​​30 hectares, expired from June 25, 2016) organized the mining, leaving behind large, deep mining pits, located halfway up the mountainside, in addition, there are a number of secondary mud pits, waste rock dumps, raw ore...

In these areas, there is a risk of dispersing into the environment mainly waste rock and soil washed away along the slopes and along the mine transport routes; it is necessary to treat the slopes, create drainage channels to limit rainwater from seeping through the waste rock and soil, causing landslides; block and stabilize the slopes of the waste dump, ensuring solidity against landslides; level and reduce the depth of the slopes; divide water channels to limit washing away the road from the village to the mine; plant acacia or bamboo to prevent erosion.

Therefore, after inspecting the scene, the Department of Minerals requested the People's Committee of Que Phong district to promptly complete the selection and propose the organization of mine closure in the above areas, so that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment can promptly submit to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration and approval for implementation.

Up to now, the People's Committee of Que Phong district has submitted a report to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment on the selection of a unit to carry out the mine renovation according to Official Dispatch No. 8571/UBND.TN dated November 10, 2016 of the Provincial People's Committee and the guidance of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment. On that basis, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has also sent an official dispatch requesting the Provincial People's Committee to consider. Mr. Tran Van Toan - Head of the Minerals Department said: "The People's Committee of Que Phong district has selected a number of enterprises in the area to carry out the mine closure and environmental restoration.

Considering that the licensed mining enterprises do not comply with the mine closure after the license expires; the choice of Que Phong district is suitable to the actual situation, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has submitted this content to the Provincial People's Committee for consideration. If the Provincial People's Committee approves, the selected enterprises of Que Phong district will prepare a project to close the mine and restore the environment to be appraised and approved for implementation...".

Mr. Tran Van Toan also said that in addition to Que Phong district, there are still some mineral mines in the province that have stopped operating but the enterprises have not yet closed the mines and remediated the environment. Therefore, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment is organizing inspections and reporting to the Provincial People's Committee for direction to handle them thoroughly.

Nhat Lan