VietNamNet Bridge – The revenue of the state budget from the titanium exploitation proves to be negligible compared to the expenses to be spent later, to regenerate the environment which gets deformed in the exploited areas, experts say.

Sand storm attack houses, underground water cannot be used

The coastal preventive forest in the areas from Phu My district to Quy Nhon City has been massacred day by day. Roads and agricultural land have become distorted. People have to pay a heavy price for the titanium exploitation.

When Tien phong’s reporters came to Xuan Phuong hamlet of My An Commune of Phu My district, and to An Quang, Nghia An hamlets of Cat Khanh commune in Phu Cat district, the areas looked cumbersome, like it was a battlefield, while local residents complained that they have to “live together with dust and the environment.”

Under the current regulations, titanium exploiters must not drill more than 11 meters into the earth. However, most exploiters violate the regulations, because they understand well that the more they drill, the bigger reserves they can find. Therefore, it was easy to realize that at least five titanium shifting points in Phu My district were operating at the depth of 20 meters at least.

In the hamlets of An Quang Dong, An Quang Tay, Nghia An and Chinh Loi of Cat Khanh commune, piles of titanium could be seen everywhere, which would be later sold to merchants and carried to the collection centers. A lot of trucks carrying black sand were seen standing in front of houses.

Tran Dinh Hoa, a local resident in My An Commune, complained that terrible sand storms usually rush down on local houses and cover the inter-hamlet roads every time when there is strong wind. The volume of sand collected by local residents after the sand storms could be piled up.

Ho Thi Ha, 48, who lives in the same commune, said that the problems caused by the titanium exploitation of the Biotan Binh Dinh Company has become unbearable.

“Everyday, we have to live together with the dust from the vehicles carrying titanium and sand, with the heat, and the fear that our houses may collapse at any time,” she complained.

Here in the My An Commune, all the houses have to close the doors all the day, while the landlords have to cover their houses with canvas to avoid dust and sand. Pointing the gigantic pile of sand, Dang Van Ho, a resident of Xuan Phuong hamlet said that in the past, it was a lush pine forest. However, titanium exploiters came, chopped down the pine trees to look for titanium ores.

“The coastal preventive forests have been destroyed, while a lot of ditches have been left after the titanium exploitation,” he said.

In My An Commune, the underground water has turned into yellow. Local residents said that a lot of cows and dogs have died after drinking water from the holes of water.

A leader of the My An commune said that the local authorities have to turn a deaf ear to the complaints of local people, because they cannot do anything to settle the problem. “The titanium exploitation has been approved by competent agencies which we cannot change. We once hoped that the industrial production would help improve the life of people. However, it seems that the production does more harm than good,” he said.

People cry for help

The same situation can be seen in Le Thuy district in Quang Binh province, where there was a casuarina forest which held back the wind and waves for the poor people in the coastal areas. However, as the forest has been destroyed, local residents have to bear regular sand storms which bring sand to cover the hamlets and gardens.

Nguyen Van Hieu, Chair of the Sen Thuy Commune People’s committee, says that the local authorities have not received the replies from the district’s localities to the complaints of local residents.

Meanwhile, local residents cannot do anything else except waiting. At least four projects on titanium exploitation in Sen Thuy commune have been licensed, while the exploitation points would be located in the areas where there are the 40-50 year old forests.

Tien Phong