Dialogue with Tay Son people about sand mining on My Chanh river

People of Tay Son village express their opinions on the sand and gravel mining project on My Chanh river - Photo: QUANG HAI

The project has been assessed for environmental impact in accordance with regulations.

Hai Son Commune Party Secretary Van Ngoc Tien Duc said that after previous dialogues with the people, the commune has contacted provincial agencies to review the OL6 sand mine dossier. The dossier only lacks an environmental license, while other procedures are complete. The enterprise is currently building a dike to retain sand and filter wastewater into the environment. "The province has issued a license, the enterprise has paid to fulfill related obligations. I hope people will share to harmonize the interests of the people and the enterprise," said Mr. Duc.

Mr. Le The Nam, an expert from the Minerals Division of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, also confirmed that the licensing of sand mining was in accordance with the procedure. “During the process of preparing documents for submission to the Provincial People’s Committee for licensing, the department did not receive any negative feedback from the people. Therefore, we confirm that the licensing was in accordance with the procedure,” said Mr. Nam.

At the dialogue, Tay Son villagers expressed their concerns that the sand mine will affect the environment and cause landslides on the banks of the My Chanh River when it is put into operation. They hope that the government will pay attention to the lives and health of the people. Some other opinions shared that the people do not want to cause difficulties for businesses but only want to protect their lives. They requested that the government publicly provide the sand mine records so that people can know clearly.

The company is temporarily suspending construction of the sand gathering area at the OL6 mine - Photo: QUANG HAI

Mr. Nguyen Hung Tri, Deputy Head of the Environmental Protection Department (Department of Agriculture and Environment) said that for a long time, when there was information about any project, people were worried because they were afraid of affecting their lives. However, the people were only worried because after checking the entire process, they found that Nguyen Hoang Company had been licensed by the State and had established procedures for environmental impact assessment.

“The process of implementing environmental impact assessment procedures is complete, from consulting with the community to capturing data on river areas, flood peaks, rain, storms, mineral reserves, how to exploit them...”, Mr. Tri said.

Mr. Tri added that after receiving feedback from the people, the Department of Agriculture and Environment had a meeting with Nguyen Hoang Company. At this meeting, the department emphasized that exploitation must be associated with environmental protection.

“It is completely legitimate for people to monitor the company during the mining process. Later, I would like to suggest that Hai Son commune publicize the mining area and location so that people know, and at the same time establish a monitoring board. The company must mine the correct volume and overcome the shortcomings caused.”

Licensing will be reviewed.

At the end of the dialogue, Deputy Head of the Environmental Protection Department Nguyen Hung Tri acknowledged and accepted the people's feedback and said that he would report to the Department of Agriculture and Environment to review and review the licensing of Nguyen Hoang Company for any remaining inaccuracies. At the same time, the department would work with the business again, especially on environmental issues.

On December 31, 2024, Nguyen Hoang Company was granted a license by the People's Committee of Quang Tri province for the project of exploiting sand, gravel, and cobbles from the My Chanh riverbed for common construction materials by open-pit method at the OL6 sand and gravel mine in Hai Son commune, Hai Lang district. The exploitation area is over 14.6 hectares, including 4 areas; the mineral reserves allowed to be included in the exploitation design are 502,507 m ³ ; exploitation capacity is 40,000 m ³ / year; exploitation time is from 7:00 to 17:00 every day. The exploitation period of the project is 13 years and 2 months. On April 4, 2025, the People's Committee of Quang Tri province continued to issue a decision to lease land to Nguyen Hoang Company to implement this project.

Quang Hai

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/doi-thoai-voi-nguoi-dan-tay-son-ve-viec-khai-thac-mo-cat-tren-song-my-chanh-193175.htm