VietNamNet Bridge – The People's Committee of HCM City has asked the Prime Minister to instruct the Ministry of Transport to revoke licences that allow the Hiep Phuoc Maritime and Investment Joint-Stock Company to dredge river beds and upgrade the Dong Nai Waterway extending from Ong Nhieu Canal to Dong Nai Bridge.

Illegal sand mining is still rampant on the Dong Nai River. HCM City has requested for the licence of an illegal dredging company to be revoked in an effort to improve the situation. (Photo: VNS)
The project was licenced by the Ministry of Transport after it received approval from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, which conducted an environmental impact statement on the project.

However, instead of dredging river beds and upgrading the waterway, Hiep Phuoc Company exploited sand in the area, which is a violation of state laws on mineral preservation.

The company's sand exploitation worsened the erosion of land near the Dong Nai and Tac river areas in HCM City's District 9.

The city has declared that the amount of sand the company exploited in the Dong Nai River was illegal under existing regulations.

The city also asked the company to stop exploitation and move all of its facilities out of the area.

Defending its decision, the city cited a resolution approved by the Prime Minister in 2004 that bans sand exploitation in the Dong Nai River.

The People's Committee said the company's sand exploitation would lead to landslides in the area and affect residents living along the Dong Nai and Tac rivers.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News