(Baonghean.vn) - On the river, sand boats still freely use their water hoses to suck up sand. On the shore, sand docks operate busily, with trucks constantly coming in and out without permission from the authorities.
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| At 6 a.m. on July 6, on the Lam River, passing through Hung Linh Commune (Hung Nguyen), a sand boat carelessly used its water hose to suck up sand and gravel. Although it was already morning, the sand boat did not show any signs of worry or hiding from the authorities. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| Further, at the river section bordering Hung Nguyen and Nam Dan districts, there are many sand boats freely sucking sand and gravel. The sound of the engines echoes throughout the river. A local resident said: “Sand exploitation on the Lam River, the section bordering the two districts, still happens regularly. The boat owners, even though they know that their actions are illegal, still brazenly suck sand as if challenging the authorities…” Photo: Lan Bang |
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| According to research, on the Lam River section passing through Hung Nguyen district, the authorities have not yet granted a license to any unit to exploit sand and gravel. For the licensed units, there are a number of enterprises and cooperatives licensed to exploit sand and gravel but do not manage, exploit or exploit with limited capacity, mainly collect money from people and let people illegally and arbitrarily exploit, without controlling the licensed mining area. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| On the shore, passing through Hung Xuan commune, right next to Yen Xuan bridge, there is a sand dock that has existed for a long time, has been punished by local authorities and authorities for violations many times but still exists despite not having a license. Notably, this sand dock is increasingly operating as if it had a license. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| Not far away, there is a sand wharf that, although not licensed, the owner has driven in stakes, barbed wire fences, and planted trees around it. Inside the wharf, cranes operate continuously. According to the assessment, the illegal opening of wharfs and sand and gravel gathering areas affects the order and safety of inland waterway traffic, and facilitates illegal sand and gravel mining on the river. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| In Thanh Tien commune (Thanh Chuong), there are many sand wharves. Down the river, ships are ready to suck up sand to sell to customers when needed. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| At Nga Tuyet sand wharf, on the morning of July 6, sand and gravel trading activities were still taking place normally even though this sand wharf has not been licensed by the competent authority. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| Currently, in the province, there are about 56 sand and gravel gathering stations that have been spontaneously and illegally established, operating unstable in terms of time and location. In Do Luong district, many sand stations are large in scale, with machinery and equipment fully invested by the station owners. In the photo is the sand station in Thuan Son commune. Photo: Lan Bang |
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| According to the authorities, the illegal opening of sand and gravel wharfs and yards affects the order and safety of inland waterway traffic, and facilitates illegal sand and gravel mining on the river. In recent inspections, the authorities discovered that many wharfs and yards declared incorrect amounts of sand and gravel to evade taxes and environmental resource fees. With illegal sand, many purchasing units then legalize it by purchasing input invoices from businesses licensed to exploit sand and gravel. In the photo is a truck carrying sand from a sand wharf in Trung Son commune (Do Luong). Photo: Lan Bang |
Nhat Lan - Pham Bang
