VietNamNet Bridge – The mine explosions from the quarry being exploited by the Cao Bang Cement Joint Stock Company have become the obsession of local residents in Cao Bang Town, where the rice fields have been left uncultivated to give place to the industrial production.

Local residents have been living in fear over the last 10 years, since the day the Cao Bang Cement Company began exploiting the quarry for cement production.

“The wartime life has returned to our hamlet since the day the mining began,” said Ly Van Noong, an old man, saying that the mine explosion has become a part of the local residents’ lives.

“Mines can explode at any time. As soon as you hear a worker shouting: “Danger! Blasting”, you should immediate run away to seek a place for shelter,” he said.

Shouts, alarms have been used as the popular tools for the workers of the quarry to warn about the risk when they detonate mines. Those, who are working in the fields, would have to run into a nearby house for shelter, and only come back to the field after the mine explosions end.

Noong said that he once lived in danger in 1979, when the Cao Bang town was occupied by Chinese soldiers, but he and other local residents did not have to live in such a great fear like nowadays.

The mine explosions which have been occurring every day here in the last ten years have become the obsession of local residents. After the explosions, rocks shoot out in all directions. Noong’s house regularly receives the pieces of rocks sent by the mine detonation, while he and other members of the family sweat profusely every time when they hear the explosions.

Noong just re-roofed his house six months ago, but the roofing has been broken two times so far. Most recently, the roof was broken by a rock as big as a kettle. However, Noong still feels lucky that the rock did not injure his family members.

Local residents said no one knows when the mines will explode. Sometimes two or three explosions were heard on the same morning. After suffering the ear splitting noise from the explosion, local residents would have to breathe the polluted air with smoke and cough into fits.

Nong Thi Danh, a farmer in Na Doong hamlet, complained that the 1000 square meter land of her family has been left uncultivated, because of the production at the Na Lung iron ore mine and the Cao Bang rock mine.

“Since 1997, we continuously had bad crops because of the thick layer of red soil. Recently, the field has been full of the pieces of rocks, which makes it impossible to grow plants. We do not have rice for our lunches,” she complained.

Danh said she many times asked for the help of the local authorities, but she has never received any replies about the issue. Since they have no more rice field to work, Danh and her husband have to go to work for others, while the income is not big enough to feed five mouths.

Vuong Thi Dao, another farmer, pointing to the fields which have turned white because of the rocks, said that the rocks have covered the rice field. Nowadays, only weeds can grow up on the land.

“No one takes responsibility for this. When we asked the quarry developers to take away the rocks, we were told that the rocks belonged to the iron ore mine,” she complained.

Compiled by Thu Uyen