Illegal sand mining on the Quỳnh Lưu coastline.

• February 25, 2017 18:54

(Baonghean.vn) - Coastal sand dunes covered with casuarina trees play an important role in protecting against waves and storms. However, illegal sand mining is rampant at Quynh Tho commune beach (Quynh Luu district), causing resentment among local residents.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

Recently, residents of Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu district) have been extremely upset about the situation where some individuals are using excavators and trucks to illegally extract sand from the beach in their area.

Mỗi ngày có tới hàng chục lượt xe ra vào bãi biển xúc cát trộm. Ảnh chụp ngày tại . Ảnh: Quỳnh Việt
Besides small-scale mining, many people also bring excavators and trucks to extract and transport sand elsewhere. Photo taken on February 10, 2017, at the beach of Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu district). Photo: Quynh Viet

Mr. Tran Van Thuong, head of Tho Thang hamlet (Quynh Tho commune), stood on the beach and said: "The once flat sandy beach has now turned into deep pits. Illegal sand dredging is eroding the casuarina forest, and every time the tide rises, the casuarina tree stumps are swept out to sea, posing a risk of seawater encroaching on the saltwater barrier at any time."

According to Mr. Thuong, residents have repeatedly discovered trucks illegally excavating sand and tried to stop them, but the situation remains unresolved. Currently, there is widespread illegal sand excavation at the beach for resale.

Dấu vết xúc trộm cát bãi biển ở thôn Thọ Tiến, xã Quỳnh Thọ (Quỳnh Lưu). Ảnh: Quỳnh Việt
Traces of illegal sand excavation on the beach in Tho Tien village, Quynh Tho commune (Quynh Luu district). Photo: Quynh Viet

Reportedly, Quỳnh Thọ commune has approximately 1.8 km of coastline. Illegal sand dredging is occurring in three hamlets: Thọ Tiến, Thọ Thắng, and Thọ Đồng.

According to observations, the sea level is currently only about 10 meters from the base of the sea dike in Tho Thang village, and on the other side of the dike is the residential and agricultural area of ​​hundreds of households. The locals also claim that trucks are illegally excavating sand from the sea to sell elsewhere for 200,000 to 500,000 VND per truckload.

Do nạn xúc cát thường xuyên diễn ra làm ảnh hưởng đến bãi bồi ven biển, gốc cây phi lao bị xói mòn trơ gốc rễ. Ảnh: Quỳnh Việt
Frequent sand dredging has caused erosion of the coastal alluvial plain. Photo: Quynh Viet

This situation has been going on for some time, but the local authorities were unaware of it.

Mr. Nguyen Van Luc, Chairman of the People's Committee of Quynh Tho commune, stated that the commune was unaware of this issue and would form a team to investigate and verify the information.

Quynh Viet

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