VietNamNet Bridge – Dong Nai and Binh Duong provincial authorities have been unable to control sand overexploitation on the Dong Nai River. Locals in Vinh Cuu District of Dong Nai province have complained about the possibility of landslides and noise from machines that absorb sand from the Dong Nai river bed.

“Illegal sand exploiters work through the night,” a man said. “A machine can suck a volume of sand big enough to load three to four boats, each of which has tonnage of 10-15 cubic meters. At least three to four machines work every night.”

With one cubic meter of sand priced at hundreds of thousands of dong, the exploiters can earn nearly VND10 million each night, a huge profit.

This explains why sand exploiters risk their lives to exploit sand despite the local authorities’ ban.

Meanwhile, a local man in Tan Uyen town of Binh Duong province said the sand on the Dong Nai river “has high quality” which can be used to make concrete and build multi-story buildings. The sand sells like hot cakes while sand exploiters are getting rich overnight.

“The illegal sand exploitation has been carried out for years. We have reported this many times to the commune’s people’s committee. But nothing has changed,” he said.

A report from the Tan Uyen town People’s Committee showed that local authorities discovered six cases of illegal sand exploiters in 2014.

However, the police could only seize one boat of sand, while the other boats were sunk by exploiters to destroy evidence. No illegal exploiters have been arrested.

At least 104 cases were discovered in 2014 in Dong Nai, where illegal exploiters were forced to pay fines of VND3.7 billion, a small sum compared with money they earned from illegal exploitation.

People have every reason to doubt the local authorities’ capability and sense of justice, especially when the relatives of many senior officials now trade in building materials, including sand.

Doan Hong Tuoi, deputy chair of the Tan Uyen Town People’s Committee, when talking to reporters, said the sand exploitation on Dong Nai has been controlled well and that there was nothing to complain about.

“We had meetings with the locals living on the Dong Nai riverbank and asked them to report to appropriate agencies when they see illegal sand exploitation,” he said.

However, local residents disagreed with the town’s deputy chair.

“They (the sand exploiters) told us that they are backed by high-ranking officials because they have to pay ‘protection money’. Therefore, they can exploit sand as much as they want,” a local man said.

Kim Chi