VietNamNet Bridge - River dredging projects in the country are suspected of causing riverbank erosion and the disappearance of villages. 

The government program to call for public investment in river dredging projects has given businesses an excuse to exploit natural resources without having to pay natural resource taxes and make deposits. 

The Ministry of Transport has approved 50 inland waterway passage dredging projects under the program, of which 46 projects are operational.

Hoang Cong Su, deputy head of the Quang Minh commune Fatherland Front’s Committee in Quang Binh province, said local residents have to struggle with serious riverbank land erosion.

The provincial authorities provided financial support to help build an embankment to prevent landslides. However, the embankment, built with a small amount of money ,cannot help much. 

“While people live in fear of continued land erosion, a business began sucking sand from the Son riverbed day and night,” he said. “We are afraid that the river dredging would cause serious landslides, which would cause villages to disappear one day.”

The project to dredge a passage of Son’s river section, from Quang Van to Son Trach commune, 36 kilometers in length, is being implemented by Trang An Company. It aims to serve travelers who take tours to Phong Nha – Ke Bang. 

Local people recently discovered an area where the company places exploited sand before it sells to Vung Ang Economic Zone in Ha Tinh province. 

Nguyen Ngoc Giai, former head of the Quang Binh provincial dyke management sub-department, said the sand exploitation on Son River was the most dangerous among river dredging projects.

“If the enterprise is allowed to exploit sand for one year on Son river, the tens of hectares of land on the riverbank would drift away, thus causing serious erosion. Meanwhile, local residents will have to evacuate in the flood season,” he said.

Analysts have shown their concern about the increasingly high number of river dredging projects licensed. Implementing the projects is a profitable business for enterprises because they can exploit sand without having to pay tax. This explains why more and more enterprises want to get jobs.

However, while the effects brought by the projects remain unclear, the serious consequences they bring are visible. 

In 2014, the Inland Waterways Agency unexpectedly licensed Hoang Kim Viet Company to implement the Nhat Le estuary dredging project and export the sand to be exploited, estimated at 2.2 cubic meters, to Singapore. 

Dong Hoi City residents and local agencies are concerned because the sand exploitation may cause landslides on the two riverbanks at any time, especially on the Bao Ninh peninsula.

Thien Nhien