The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) has suspended the titan exploitation at Nam Suui Nhum mine for three months due to a reservoir collapse.   

MONRE Deputy Minister Nguyen Linh Ngọc on Tuesday signed a decision suspending operations of Tan Quang Cuong Ltd. after the General Department of Geology and Minerals (VNGDGM) reported on the collapse breakdown of reservoir when employees taking water for sifting titan.

The 3,000-cubic-metre reservoir of Tan Quang Cuong Ltd. in the Ham Thuan Nam District of Binh Thuan collapsed on June 16, spilling over onto a 19.600-square-metre  area of residential houses and a resort, and isolating 200 metres of roads.

An inspection team urgently set up by VNGDGM and MNRE  examined the site and issued its report yesterday.

The investigation showed that the company regularly pumped water to the reservoir without checking its level. As the lake is surrounded by sand, over time, water infiltrated through the sand, creating underground streams that eventually erupted and flooded the lake.

MONRE has asked the company to clean up the site, repair the damaged area, and compensate local people who suffered loss.

“Within three months, if the company doesn’t carry out all the demands to the letter, the ministry will revoke its exploitation license,“ a MNRE official said.

The ministry asked the Binh Thuan Province People’s Committee for its help in tackling problems related to the reservoir collapse and to Tan Quang Cuong’s titan mining.

VNS