Oyster farming obstructs flood drainage in Hoang Mai town

bna_van truong mm.JPG — Bamboo stakes are planted on both sides of the Hoang Mai River to raise oysters, obstructing ships from entering and exiting in Quynh Phuong ward, Hoang Mai town. Photo: Van Truong

Hoang Mai River is 18 km long, located downstream of the Vuc Mau Lake flood drainage system, and is a waterway for ships and boats in Hoang Mai town. This is also a place for anchoring, avoiding, and taking shelter during the rainy and stormy season. On this river system, Hoang Mai town does not plan to raise oysters.

However, in recent times, many households in communes and wards in the area, including Quynh Lap commune, Quynh Phuong ward, Quynh Di, Mai Hung, and Quynh Thien, have illegally built oyster farms on the river, greatly affecting flood drainage capacity, as well as hindering waterway traffic and seafood exploitation activities.

bna_van truong 3.jpeg — Water recedes, dense bamboo poles are exposed in the middle of Hoang Mai River. Photo: Van Truong

Coming to Mai Hung ward, standing along Hoang Mai river, you can observe hundreds of oyster rafts with bamboo stakes placed densely on the water surface on both banks. When the tide is low, the water surface reveals a field of bamboo stakes for oyster farming, protruding like a field of spikes. When the tide is high, these stakes are submerged in water, becoming a "trap" for boats, posing many dangers.

Mr. Vu Xuan Thuong, an oyster farmer in Yen Phu block, Mai Hung ward, said: My family raises 4 oyster racks (over 8,000 oyster strings, with an area of nearly 1,000m2). Currently, the local government has mobilized propaganda and dismantled the oyster rafts due to their impact on the waterway. My family hopes that the relevant departments will support part of the cost for the dismantling because for a long time, we have invested a lot of money to drive bamboo stakes and breed oysters.

Mr. Le Huu Trung - Chairman of Mai Hung Ward People's Committee said: Currently, Mai Hung Ward has over 160 households participating in oyster farming with a total oyster farming area of nearly ^30,000m2 , mainly by people driving stakes and making bamboo trellises on both sides of the river. In the past, Mai Hung Ward People's Committee has repeatedly mobilized people to dismantle oyster rafts to clear the Mai Giang River. However, the difficulty is that oyster farming has existed for a long time, people have proposed that if it is dismantled, the authorities need to have policies to support career conversion. The ward has also asked people to commit not to expand oyster rafts.

bna_van truong 1.jpeg — Boats traveling on the Hoang Mai River are having difficulty due to many bamboo stakes used to farm oysters. Photo: Van Truong

At this time, Hoang Mai town is implementing embankments on some sections of Hoang Mai river to clear the flow, however the section through Quynh Di ward is currently having 6 households raising oysters.

The representative of Quynh Di Ward People's Committee added: 6 households raising oysters on Mai Giang River, Quynh Di Ward are from Mai Hung Ward. Quynh Di Ward has coordinated to propagate and mobilize 6 households to dismantle oyster cages, however, currently the households have not dismantled them, causing difficulties for the construction of embankments through the area .

bna_van truong 2.jpeg — Oyster farms on Hoang Mai River obstruct the flow and flood control when Vuc Mau Lake discharges water. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thuy - Head of Economic Department, Hoang Mai Town People's Committee said: The massive spontaneous oyster farming by people in Hoang Mai town in recent years has hindered flood drainage for Hoang Mai river when Mau lake discharges water, making it difficult for over 1,000 fishing boats and ships to enter and exit. To deal with the illegal oyster farming on the river, for many years Hoang Mai town has continuously propagated, mobilized organizations to sign commitments and requested households that violate the law to voluntarily dismantle oyster racks, bottom poles... to protect the inland waterway traffic infrastructure, not hindering ships and boats from entering and leaving the shore to anchor and avoid storms; drain floods and supply water for aquaculture on Hoang Mai river and Mo river.

The Chairman of the People's Committee of each commune and ward is responsible to the Chairman of the People's Committee of the town if new illegal aquaculture platforms, platforms, and rafts are created in the area under their management. However, most people still stubbornly refuse to dismantle the illegal oyster platforms on the river.

Mr. Hoang Ngoc Thuy added: For Six households illegally raising oysters on the Hoang Mai River, in Quynh Di Ward, the district are continuing to mobilize people to voluntarily dismantle their oyster rafts, and at the same time, develop a plan for enforcement if the households do not comply.

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