Strengthening management of sand and gravel exploitation

(Baonghean) - With a total length of more than 1,000 km of inland waterways and many mineral resources, the sand and gravel mining industry on rivers in our province has developed very rapidly. However, due to the lack of planning and unsynchronized investment in sand and gravel trading, it has caused a complicated situation regarding inland waterway traffic safety.

Hamlet 9, Hung Lam Commune (Hung Nguyen) has 25 households living on the river and due to the increasingly depleted fishing resources on the Lam River, 18 households have switched to sand mining on the Lam River. Due to the diverse development of the river trade, it has caused a complicated situation regarding security and order in the area. Mr. Nguyen Van Hao - Chairman of Hung Lam Commune People's Committee said: "Although Lam River flows through the commune for only more than 2 km, it has an important position and role in the lives of the people. To ensure security and order on the waterway and especially in the issue of managing and exploiting resources from Lam River, in recent times, the commune has proactively coordinated with all levels and functional branches to organize propaganda, mobilize and sign commitments for people to strictly comply with the State's regulations on waterway traffic safety and sand exploitation on Lam River. Along with that, strengthening the inspection, management and timely handling of violations has created a positive change in security and order, as well as the issue of sand exploitation on the river".

Lam River flows through 10/23 communes of Hung Nguyen district, so for generations the lives of many households along this river bank have depended on fishing and sand and gravel mining. Due to the high demand for construction materials, many households have invested capital from fishing to buy large boats and equipment and switched to sand and gravel mining. Currently, in the district, there are 105 mining vehicles, mainly concentrated in the communes of Hung Lam, Hung Loi, Hung Phu, Hung Linh, Hung Chau... and 20 households doing business at 19 sand and gravel wharfs and gathering places. However, among them, only 55 inland waterway vehicles have been granted administrative registration certificates and 2 wharves have been licensed according to regulations. Such rapid development not only depletes resources, seriously affects traffic infrastructure works and dykes, but also causes complicated situations in terms of public order and safety of waterway traffic. The most serious is in the Lam River area near Yen Xuan Bridge (Hung Xuan), due to changes in the flow and the indiscriminate exploitation of sand and gravel, and some households investing in building wharves to trade in construction materials, causing landslides on the banks of the Lam River, affecting the safety of the North-South railway line.

Hung Nguyen police confiscated suction heads and sand suction engines of illegal mining boats.

Lieutenant Tran Quoc Hoan - Deputy Head of Traffic Police of Hung Nguyen Police said: "In the face of the complicated situation of waterway traffic safety and illegal sand and gravel mining in the area, Hung Nguyen district has established interdisciplinary inspection teams and resolutely handled violations. Since the beginning of 2014, Hung Nguyen district has issued directives, dispatches, and plans on ensuring order and safety of waterway traffic and established 2 inspection teams to combat illegal sand and gravel mining, trading, and transportation activities, thereby handling 7 violations, confiscating 9 suction heads and generators and fining 3 cases 30 million VND, 4 other violations are continuing to complete the files for handling. Along with that, at the location of the sand and gravel gathering site at Yen Xuan bridge, a record has been drawn up to handle business owner Tran Van Hoi for administrative violations in the field of inland waterway traffic and transferred to the District People's Committee for handling according to authority".

Hung Nguyen is one of the areas where illegal sand and gravel exploitation and trading often occur. To effectively combat and prevent this field, in the coming time, the district will continue to effectively manage waterway traffic, strengthen propaganda and inspection work, and strictly handle violations of the law. It is known that due to the seriousness of the landslide near Yen Xuan bridge affecting the railway, the Ministry of Transport has recently had a project to build an embankment to prevent landslides with an investment capital of up to tens of billions of VND.

In our province, there are 13 large and small rivers with a total length of more than 1,000 km (of which the river under the central government's management is 120.2 km, the river under the provincial management is nearly 130 km and the district-level management is 751 km). Due to the diversity of inland waterways in our province, the management of all levels and functional sectors faces many difficulties, especially the complicated exploitation and gathering of sand and gravel. Currently, in the province, there are about 343 vehicles specializing in exploiting and transporting sand and gravel on rivers, there are 83 wharves and yards for gathering and trading sand and gravel, and the hot issue in this field is that many vehicles and wharves do not meet the operating conditions according to the law, causing unsafe waterway traffic, loss of mineral resources, causing resentment among the masses...

Faced with that reality, the Department of Transport issued Decision No. 322 dated July 3, 2013 on establishing an Inspection Team to inspect compliance with legal regulations on passenger transport on inland waterways and mineral exploitation on rivers. With the active support of relevant levels and sectors, the Interdisciplinary Team conducted inspections at 20 units in the province, thereby drawing up records of administrative violations against 39 cases with a total fine of VND 58.9 million. Lieutenant Colonel Phan Duc Chau - Head of the Waterway Police Department, Nghe An Police said: "In recent times, the Waterway Police Department has actively coordinated with relevant levels and sectors in the fight against violations of the law on inland waterways and illegal exploitation, transportation and trading of sand and gravel on rivers. In the first 7 months of 2014, the unit distributed 8,200 leaflets with propaganda content on the law on inland waterways and illegal exploitation, transportation and trading of sand and gravel on rivers, built 2 models of "Model ferry" and "Peaceful fishing village", thereby replicating the model in localities in the province. In parallel with the propaganda work, mobilizing people to comply with the law on inland waterways, the Waterway Police Department has also strengthened the inspection and control of the area and from the beginning of 2014 up to now, it has organized 156 patrols and controls, thereby detecting 205 cases of violations. inland waterway law and fined 527 million VND".

With the active participation of all levels and functional sectors, it has contributed to rectifying the situation of illegal exploitation, transportation and trading of sand and gravel on the river. However, in order for this sector to operate smoothly and in accordance with legal regulations, in the coming time, water transport vehicles need to be inspected for technical safety, and at the same time, promulgate procedures for granting licenses for sand and gravel exploration and exploitation in accordance with the actual situation of the locality...

Hoang Vinh