(Baonghean.vn) - There are always 5-7 illegal gold mining sites operating day and night. There are tunnels dozens, even hundreds of meters deep dug into the mountain. According to gold miners and confirmation from the village management board, this phenomenon has been happening every day for a long time, from 2-3 years now.
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At the time Nghe An Newspaper reporters were present on Pu Kep mountain (Huu Khuong commune, Tuong Duong district), there were more than 5 groups illegally mining gold. Photo taken on October 22, 2016. |
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Each group has 1 to 2 huts built, one for living and one for storing machinery and tools to support gold mining. |
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The shacks are crudely built, with simple machinery systems. According to the reporter’s research, it only costs 20 to 30 million VND to invest in machinery for an illegal mining team like this. |
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A miner was loading earth into the machine. The machines worked day and night, the sound echoed throughout the mountain. The noise had been there for over a year. |
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Mr. Lo Van Chien, Chairman of the People's Committee of Huu Khuong Commune, said that the gold mining groups on Pu Kep Mountain are linked to brokers from Hoa Binh Town (Tuong Duong) and Thai Nguyen Province. Huu Khuong Commune has also tried to drive them out many times, but they have not been able to clear them out yet. In the photo is a gold pit left behind by the gold miners after being chased away. |
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The main form of mining on Pu Kep Mountain is to use pickaxes and shovels to dig tens or hundreds of meters deep into the mountain to find gold. This not only pollutes the environment but also poses a high risk of accidents. |
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Homemade water tanks were built on the mountain to store water for gold mining. |
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A mine in operation. From here, the excavated soil and rock are transported to a nearby shed to be crushed and washed away with water. |
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Piston pumps were used to bring water to the top of the mountain. |
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After exploitation, the holes tens of meters deep left behind pose a potential risk of accidents for people and livestock operating in this production forest area. |
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The streams are stained brick red by gold mining. |
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It is worth mentioning that the gold mining has been going on for such a long time but the local government still cannot completely resolve it???. |
Ho Phuong - Huu Vi