Mr. Tran Van Nham - Director of Thanh Dat Construction and Land Leveling Company Limited, the winning bidder for dredging and mineral recovery at Nghi Cong Lake in Nghi Cong Bac Commune (Nghi Loc), said: According to the signed contract, in the first 3 years, the construction unit is allowed to dredge 140,399 m3, and 7 years later dredged 327,596 m3. Since 2019, the company has paid a one-time fee for the exploitation rights for 3 years with an amount of nearly 1 billion VND. However, during this period, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, the vehicle could not operate. When it resumed operation, the 3-year license fee was exhausted, so the volume of implementation for 3 years was not much.
Mr. Nham also said that the amount of money that the enterprise spends is not only for procedures and paperwork but also for building roads to the dredging area, so the cost is very high. If the Provincial People's Committee does not create conditions for the enterprise to exploit the volume that has paid the licensing fee, it will be very difficult for the enterprise. Not to mention that the permitted exploitation period from April to August is too short, so the enterprise proposes to allow an extension of the exploitation and dredging time. If it can be done at any time when it is dry, it must create conditions for the enterprise to do it. After all, with the volume of land that has been permitted to be exploited, the sooner the enterprise finishes, the better.
Similar to the above recommendations, Mr. Nguyen Van Uyen - Director of Tuan Truong Phat Company Limited, the winning bidder for dredging Khe Go Lake in Nghi Lam Commune (Nghi Loc), also said that in the 3-year period from 2019 to 2021, although allowed to exploit 500,000m3land, but the unit has only exploited about 5,000m3up to 7,000m3Not to mention that in 2023, most of the time will have to be temporarily suspended for departments, branches and sectors to inspect and review. Moreover, the limited dredging time from April to August is too short, causing businesses not enough time to carry out the work according to the set schedule.
Talking to us, Mr. Ta Duy Hien - Deputy Director of Nam Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. said: Currently, the unit manages 44 pumping stations, 13 large and small reservoirs in Nam Dan, Nghi Loc, Hung Nguyen districts and Vinh city, serving irrigation and drainage for about 70,000 hectares of agricultural land. Regarding the implementation of dredging reservoirs, according to Mr. Hien, around 2017, based on the recommendations of the localities, the Provincial People's Committee has decided to proceed with dredging a number of reservoirs. Because the reservoirs have been formed for a long time and almost none of them have been dredged after decades. However, a problem is that if dredging is done, it will require funding, while the province's budget is limited. Therefore, it is calculated to allow dredging and collection in the form of socialization.
“After receiving comments from the departments, the Provincial People's Committee assigned Nam Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. to prepare documents and related procedures to conduct dredging. The project started in 2018 and was completed in 2019. However, during this period, due to the pandemic, not much could be done. Not to mention that Nam Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. is also a business, so the procedures related to the implementation of socialization and mineral recovery are still facing many difficulties. Not to mention that because it is a pilot project, it must be done while considering, so the dredging time is only limited from April 1 to August 31 every year,” said Mr. Hien.
Currently, at Nam Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd., there are 3 lakes that have been permitted by the Provincial People's Committee to be dredged, however, so far only Nghi Cong Lake and Khe Go Lake in Nghi Loc are being implemented. As for Cua Ong Lake in Nam Nghia Commune (Nam Dan), although it has also been permitted by the Provincial People's Committee to be dredged since 2019, with a volume of 210,310m3, dredging depth from 0.85 - 1.4m. However, during the exploitation period, due to the epidemic, the implementation progress was very slow. Therefore, on March 6, 2023, Nam Dan District People's Committee issued Document No. 507/UBND.BB to relevant departments and branches. Accordingly, in order to speed up the dredging progress of Cua Ong Lake and promptly store water for production, Nam Dan District People's Committee agreed with the proposal of Nam Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. to adjust the dredging time in the year from November of the previous year to the end of August of the following year. However, up to this point, the dredging of Cua Ong Lake is still very slow, only reaching about 3 - 6%.
Dredging reservoirs at projects under the management of Bac Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. is even more difficult. This unit currently manages 23 reservoirs in the districts of Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, and Hoang Mai town. Most of the reservoirs were built 30-40 years ago and have never been dredged. During operation, most of these reservoirs lack water in the dry season and have poor water storage capacity in the rainy season.
Mr. Tran Van Hoa - Head of Technical Department, Bac Nghe An Irrigation One Member Co., Ltd. said: Since 2019, the company has sent an official dispatch requesting the Provincial People's Committee to allow dredging 23 reservoirs in the form of socialization. This not only helps the state save costs but also increases revenue for the budget. Specifically, in Do Luong district, there are 4 lakes, of which 3 lakes are proposed to be dredged: Mo Da, Da Ban, Bau Da. In Yen Thanh, 4/7 lakes are proposed: Don Hung, Xuan Nguyen, Quan Hai, Ke Sat. In Dien Chau, 2 lakes are proposed: Xuan Duong and Dinh Du. In Quynh Luu, 4/5 lakes are proposed: Khe San, Khe Ang, Ba Tuy, 3/2 lake; in Hoang Mai town, it is proposed to dredge Vuc Mau lake. After sending an official dispatch requesting permission to dredge lakes using socialized capital, the Provincial People's Committee assigned relevant departments and branches to conduct field inspections. Departments and branches, mainly the Department of Natural Resources and Environment and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, have agreed and proposed the Provincial People's Committee to implement. By 2022, the Provincial People's Committee has issued a document agreeing to dredging 4 lakes. However, up to this point, dredging of any lakes has not been possible.
On August 9, 2023, the Department of Planning and Investment, based on the assignment of the Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee, issued Report 3348/SKHDT-DN on the process and form of selecting implementing units for dredging projects on lake beds/handling landslides without using the state budget. According to this report, there are currently no regulations on the process and form of selecting implementing units for the above-mentioned dredging projects on lake beds/handling landslides, so there is no basis and legal basis to issue regulations on the order and form of selecting implementing units. Currently, the Government has only regulated the dredging activities of seaport waters and inland waterway waters. Through consulting a number of provinces and cities, it can be seen that no province or city has issued documents regulating the process and form of selecting units to carry out dredging of reservoir beds/handling landslides (not using the state budget), combined with mineral recovery, but only issued regulations on coordination between relevant departments and branches.
Obviously, dredging lakes and dams with socialized capital will bring many great benefits. Therefore, it is time for the Provincial People's Committee to make a decisive decision to remove bottlenecks for localities and units managing lakes and dams. In addition, it is necessary to reduce unnecessary processes and procedures, avoid limiting implementation time, as long as the dredging is carried out according to the proposed design and the correct volume to avoid loss of resources. If the project is completed early, it will be more beneficial in water storage.
