VietNamNet Bridge - Illegal sand exploiters have been dredging the Da River bed day and night at the foot of Vietnam’s most important hydropower dam.

Illegally exploiting sand at night. Photo: VTC News

The illegal sand exploitation on the Da river section, from Yen Hoa to Thinh Lang Wards of Hoa Binh City, has become alarming. When it gets dark, two dredgers with modern machines come to the area and hurry to suck the sand from the river bed.

Bui Quang Diep, deputy director of the Hoa Binh Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, admitted at a meeting with VTC News reporters on September 14 that the activities of illegally exploiting sand on Da River ‘are getting complicated’, especially in areas near Thanh Thuy district of Phu Tho province and Ba Vi district of Hanoi.

Diep said that local authorities have instructed agencies to deal with the problem and stop the illegal exploitation.

When reporters provided information about two dredgers which exploited sand illegally  in Hoa Binh City, just 3 kilometers from the hydropower dam, Diep was surprised and said he would tell his staff to check the information.

However, Diep said it was very difficult to stop the illegal exploitation because the area where sand is exploited borders on the other areas belonging to other provinces. 

He also said that the local department of natural resources and environment works as the state management agency, and in order to stop the illegal exploiters, it needs the cooperation of the police.

Colonel Bui Xuan Dieu on September 15 confirmed that the activities of exploiting sand illegally on Da River were being carried out.

He said that the police took inspection tours to the site, but the ‘result was below expectations. 

“There are only two companies allowed to exploit sand in the areas belonging to Hop Thanh and Hop Thinh communes of Ky Son. The others must be illegal exploiters,” he said.

Admitting that illegal exploitation has been made in the locality for many years, Dieu said it was difficult to deal with illegal exploiters because of many reasons, including the lack of staff, facilities and limited budget.

While appropriate agencies complain about difficulties to catch illegal exploiters, T, a local man, said the exploitation takes place in the open air and every night. 

“It is very easy to find dredgers among the ships because of their specific equipment. Why can we see illegal exploiters, but officials cannot?” he said.

A local woman told reporters that the illegal exploiters might pay ‘protection money’ to the police to be able to exploit sand. However, Dieu denied this.

Cong Nam