Exploiting "exploration" as a pretext for illegal sand mining.

(Baonghean) - Currently, many businesses in Nghe An province have been licensed to survey, explore, and exploit sand; however, some businesses have taken advantage of this procedure to illegally exploit sand on the Lam River.

At midday, dozens of ships were still dredging sand along the Lam River in Boi Son commune, Trang Son district, Do Luong province, their engines roaring deafeningly. These ships thrust their suction pipes into the riverbed, then silently moved towards the shore to continue dredging, stirring up the entire Lam River with a muddy red. After about an hour, each ship slowly emerged and entered the dock to unload its sand.

Following the sand-carrying ships, we found two sand depots. The first was the sand depot of Hoa Binh Construction Co., Ltd., managed by Le Huu Be. The depot was set up right in the garden of a house and had been expanded by dumping soil into the Lam River. There were three sand-dredging vessels on the river, with huge piles of sand constantly being loaded into trucks by excavators. Right next to it was the sand depot of Bao Ngan Co., Ltd., managed by Le Huu Que, with trucks busily entering and exiting, transporting sand. It is known that these two businesses had only recently completed the procedures for sand exploration and exploitation, but they had already invested in opening depots, excavators, and cranes operating openly as if they had been granted permits. What angered the local people was that these "iron monsters" were dredging sand, causing landslides in rice fields and embankments, affecting the Dong Do pumping station that supplies irrigation water to over 100 hectares of rice paddies.

Ms. Thuong, residing in Hamlet 5, Boi Son Commune, expressed her frustration: "Previously, my family owned nearly 2 sao (approximately 2,000 square meters) of alluvial land for growing corn, beans, and peanuts. Due to rampant illegal sand mining, the farmland has eroded, leaving only about 0.6 sao (approximately 1,000 square meters) for cultivation, while my family has seven mouths to feed." According to Ms. Thuong, sand extraction takes place day and night, and although residents have complained to the local authorities, the issue remains unresolved. She added that if illegal sand mining is not stopped promptly, the embankment will be damaged within a few years, threatening the residential area.

Sand mining activities are bustling day and night at two sand quarries located just over 300 meters from the Boi Son Commune People's Committee. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, Vice Chairman of the Boi Son Commune People's Committee, explained: "In the past, the commune had banned the two companies from mining and even erected concrete barriers to prohibit trucks from entering the quarries. However, because the commune has been constructing a kindergarten for the past few months, we removed the barriers and allowed the two companies to continue mining to serve the commune's construction project."

Mr. Tran Kim Doan, Acting Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Do Luong District, stated: Currently, only one company in Do Luong District has been licensed to mine sand, namely Thai Cuc Resource Development Investment Co., Ltd. Seven companies are currently undergoing procedures for surveying and exploring sand mining, and some are illegally mining. The district is forming a team to conduct inspections. Furthermore, in March 2014, a document was issued directly to Bao Ngan Co., Ltd. and Hoa Binh Construction Co., Ltd., ordering them to cease illegal sand and gravel mining, stockpiling, and trading in the district. The People's Committees of Trang Son, Boi Son, and Dang Son communes are tasked with regularly inspecting and monitoring these companies. If any company fails to comply, the commune People's Committee will handle the matter and report the results to the district People's Committee, which will then request the provincial People's Committee not to grant mining licenses.

In Nam Dan, the exploitation of sand under the guise of "exploration" is also ongoing. Phu Quy Trong Company (Hung Tien - Nam Dan), headed by Le Van Ha, has independently opened a road from the embankment to create a large sand depot, equipped with two excavators and three cranes, with trucks constantly moving in and out to transport sand. According to local residents, along the Lam River section from Hung Tien to Hong Long commune, the sand is beautiful, yellow, and fine, leading Le Van Ha's sand dredging boats to operate day and night, causing erosion of the embankment and agricultural land. Ms. Duong Thi Phuong from Hamlet 2, Hong Long commune, stated: "They dredge all day, on both banks, causing many sections of the embankment to erode, with all the rocks washed into the river. On the other side, the soil has eroded into the cultivated land. Previously, my family had 3.5 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of riverside land, but now it's all eroded, leaving only 0.3 sao for growing peanuts." Many sections of the river are now deep pits, threatening people's lives, and the water environment is severely polluted. According to local residents, at the sand wharf of Quy Phu Trong Company, more than 30 trucks come daily to buy sand at prices ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 VND/m3, with each truck carrying an average of over 10 m3 of sand, generating nearly 10 million VND in revenue per day. When asked if Le Van Ha had received a mining permit before proceeding with sand extraction for many years, Ha stated: "We belong to the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative, and we only buy sand from the open market."

Further up towards Nam Dan town, along the foot of the Nam Dan bridge, there are 7 sand quarries belonging to the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative. Right next to the bridge is Mr. Nhung's huge sand quarry. Seeing us taking pictures, Mr. Nhung stopped his camera and said: "Just go to the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative and ask. We've been granted permission by the district to lease the land for the quarry. We've been on break for a whole week, and since this morning we've only managed to dredge two boats." Further up the river is Mr. Pham Van Hoan's quarry, where the machinery is quite busy. Mr. Hoan said: "We are dredging sand under the direction of the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative; we only manage to dredge one boat every two days." When asked why the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative is still dredging sand without a permit, Mr. Nguyen Trung Chau, the Cooperative's Chairman, explained: "The cooperative has 64 members and over 46 sand dredging boats. We are currently in the process of exploring three locations totaling 43 hectares on the Lam River."

The reason for the sand extraction is the difficult living conditions of the local people who previously relied on fishing on the river; if they didn't engage in sand extraction, they wouldn't know what other occupation to pursue. Currently, we only limit the number of sand extraction vessels to 10 per day, equivalent to 35 cubic meters of sand. However, according to surveys, the Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative and other businesses in the area have nearly 100 large and small vessels extracting sand day and night. Regulations stipulate that sand extraction and trading must comply with regulations such as resource tax, environmental protection fees, VAT, and corporate income tax. However, most businesses involved in illegal sand extraction and trading evade taxes or fail to pay them in full. According to calculations by some ringleaders, for example, if they extract 6,000 cubic meters of sand, generating revenue of over 180 million VND, the corresponding taxes and fees would be around 25-28 million VND. With such huge revenues and no taxes to pay, organizations and individuals involved in illegal sand mining reap enormous profits.

The sand quarry of Quy Phu Trong Company (Hung Tien - Nam Dan).

Mr. Tran Sau, a specialist from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nam Dan district, added: Currently, there are four units in Nam Dan district undergoing survey and exploration procedures: Lam Son Dai Thanh Cooperative, Hoang Long Company, Hung Long Company, and Hung Anh Company. From July 2013 to the present, the District People's Committee has fined 52 million VND to illegal sand mining boats. At this time, the district is continuing to strengthen the inter-agency team to inspect and handle illegal sand mining activities.

Illegal sand mining in Nam Dan threatens many irrigation works such as dikes, embankments, and sluice gates, especially the Nam Dan bridge, where many sections have been hollowed out, posing a risk of collapse. Regarding this issue, the Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr. Vo Duy Viet, added: The Department is forming an inspection team to rectify the situation of mineral exploitation, including sand mining. For businesses that misuse exploration permits to illegally mine sand, coordinated monitoring by local authorities is essential. If detected, the cause will be investigated, the permit will be suspended, and the exploration permit will be revoked.

King Tran