Temporarily stop groundwater exploitation in the 'mineral capital' Nghe An due to unusual subsidence

Accordingly, the District People's Committee requests all organizations and individuals to temporarily stop pumping water and exploiting groundwater in the areas of Na Hieng village, Cong village, Na Noong village, Poong village, Chau Hong commune, Quy Hop district, Nghe An province. The suspension of pumping water and exploiting groundwater is from the date of announcement until further notice.

Quy Hop District assigned Chau Hong Commune People's Committee to distribute this notice to relevant organizations and the executive committees of the above hamlets, and announce it on the loudspeaker system of the Commune People's Committee and hamlets and villages so that people can know and comply. Check and supervise the compliance of organizations and individuals pumping and exploiting groundwater in the above hamlets. If organizations and individuals continue to deliberately exploit, a case will be filed for handling according to the provisions of law.

A corner of Chau Hong commune seen from above. This is considered the "mineral capital" with a series of mines. Photo: TH

This move came after the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Nghe An province sent a document to the People's Committee of Quy Hop district regarding the phenomenon of land subsidence in the communes of Na Nieng village, Poong village, Na Noong village, Chau Hong commune. The delegation inspected and recorded many locations of construction works of agencies and houses with cracks and dry water wells...

Based on the inspection results, while there are no results of the investigation and assessment of the cause of the unusual phenomenon by the North Central Geological Federation, to ensure people's lives and avoid causing panic and affecting people's psychology, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requests the District People's Committee to issue a notice requiring organizations and individuals to immediately stop pumping and exploiting groundwater in the areas of Cong village, Na Hieng village, Poong village and neighboring areas and take strict measures to handle cases of non-compliance.

Cracks in a house in Chau Hong commune. Photo: Tien Hung

To protect against land subsidence, pollution, degradation, and depletion of water resources, the District People's Committee is requested to organize inspections and supervision of organizations and individuals engaged in mineral exploitation activities in the area to strictly implement the provisions in Clause 4, Article 26; Clause 3, Article 62 of the Law on Water Resources 2022. Sanction according to authority for violations of the provisions in Decree No. 36/2020/ND-CP dated March 24, 2020 of the Government stipulating administrative sanctions in the field of water and mineral resources in cases such as: Practicing underground water drilling in the area without a license; Exploiting and using underground water without a license; Illegal mineral exploitation or mineral exploitation not in accordance with the regulations of the competent licensing authority...

Direct the People's Committee of Chau Hong commune and relevant agencies, organizations and individuals to closely coordinate with the North Central Geological Federation - a unit under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (a unit contracted by the People's Committee of Quy Hop district to investigate and assess) to promptly find the cause to have a long-term solution (especially having remedial measures before the 2022 storm season). Urgently complete the construction of a domestic water supply station to ensure adequate supply in 03 villages of Na Nieng, Poong and Na Noong to ensure adequate clean water supply for people in the affected area.

Develop a plan to relocate households out of areas with high risk of insecurity; Direct the establishment of a monitoring team in the village, assign people to regularly monitor and report any unusual signs to the local authorities for timely handling; Regularly collect and update statistics on affected households; Instruct people to repair cracks and avoid crowded gatherings or places with cracks that pose a risk of insecurity. Disseminate information to organizations and individuals on the safe and economical use of water resources; The above phenomenon is being investigated and evaluated by scientists to find long-term solutions so that people can feel secure in production.

People helplessly tried to dig a dry well. Photo: Tien Hung

Previously, as reported by Nghe An Newspaper, since the beginning of 2020, subsidence and cracks have occurred in Chau Hong commune. According to a report from Chau Hong commune, hundreds of households are in danger. Up to now, 279 domestic water wells in Chau Hong commune have dried up. In particular, since the end of February, 114 houses have cracked, including: cracked walls, cracked floors, sunken house foundations, and garden land. The estimated damage is up to 57 billion VND.

According to the people and authorities of Chau Hong commune, the cause of this situation is due to mineral mining companies in the area. Accordingly, to exploit the ore, these companies use high-capacity machines to suck water from underground, leading to the gradual depletion of groundwater. "People here have lived here for a long time and this situation has never happened, when there were no mineral mining activities," said Chairman of the People's Committee of the commune Truong Van Hoa.

Chau Hong Commune is considered the "mineral capital" of Quy Hop District, with a series of mines that have been operating for about 20 years. According to Mr. Hoa, there are currently 11 mineral mining enterprises in the commune. Including 5 ore mining enterprises and 7 stone mining enterprises. "In particular, there are enterprises that mine underground ores in the form of tunnels. Most recently, when the scale of mining used more modern means and machinery, especially in the field of underground tin mining, such abnormalities appeared," said Mr. Hoa.

According to the report of the Hydrogeological Federation under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (the unit assigned to implement the project to investigate restricted areas for groundwater exploitation in Nghe An province), during the project investigation period from 2019-2020, the above wells did not show any signs of subsidence or lowering of water levels, which is also consistent with people's opinions about the new phenomenon that has appeared since the beginning of 2021. Meanwhile, according to statistics on the list of groundwater licenses, in Chau Hong commune, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has not yet issued or advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue licenses for groundwater exploitation to any organizations or individuals exploiting groundwater in the area.

Tien Hung