VietNamNet Bridge – The Nang River, which was green, romantic and peaceful, has turned muddy because of the gold mining activities.

In June 2011, when Bac Kan provincial authorities considered the Nguyen Phat Company’s project on exploiting gold at the Ban Nghieng – Vang Ma mine in the upper course of Nang River, experts warned that the mining would cause big consequences.

However, Nguyen Phat still got the license which allowed it to carry out the exploitation activities since 2011. The mining has brought economic benefits to the nation and Bac Kan province, and brought high risks to the Nang River and the area as well.

Not only getting polluted, the Nang River, which brings water to the Ba Be reservoir, one of the world’s 20 special fresh water reservoirs, has seen its current changed by the artificial ponds, lakes and mountains of earth and rocks arisen during the exploitation.

Especially, the riverbed digging has made a big amount of mud flowing down to the Ba Be reservoir.

The reporters, who were present in Pac Nam district in early October, could see with their eyes the deformed muddy river section, several kilometers in length. It was a big site, where tens of machines and trucks worked, and dammed up to serve the gold mining.

The exploiter sometimes digs 4-6 meters deep into the mountains, thus creating big lakes. “Sometimes they (Nguyen Phat Company) raised the level of the river, thus making the rice fields flooded. Sometimes they put big rocks to create a road for vehicles to go. They ignore our protests,” a local resident said.

“Nang River has… passed away,” said La Thi Hoa in An Thang commune. “It is not the Nang River that I knew, because it has turned quite different.”

The reporters have found out that Nguyen Phat many times exploited gold beyond the area allowed by the Bac Kan provincial authorities. It was once found as exploiting gold in the neighboring province of Cao Bang, for which it was punished.

Most recently, it has been found as owing VND180 billion in taxes of different kinds and the environment fees.

When asked about the influences of the gold mining to the locality, Dong Manh Kiem, Deputy Chair of An Thang Commune People’s Committee, affirmed that the mining does not affect people’s lives and production.

He also said that the company has stopped the exploitation since May 2013, because the storms and heavy rains have flooded the exploitation places.

However, the reporters, when arriving in the Tien Bo hamlet, still saw tractors and other machines working.

Bac Kan is rich in natural resources with 165 mines and ore places. There are some 70 lead and zinc mines with the total reserves of 4 million tons, 13 iron mines with the total reserves of 22 million tons, 17 gold mines. There is also limestone, cement, titanium… However, Bac Kan’s people do not feel happy about that.

Emphasizing that minerals are the valuable natural resources, Hoang Ngoc Duong, Chair of Bac Kan province, admitted that the mining activities have become uncontrollable, which has caused serious environment consequences.

“As for Bac Kan, minerals are the heavy burden,” Duong said.

Thien Nhien