Large reserves but ineffective exploitation

Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet requested the Standing Committee of Dai Loc District Party Committee to focus on managing mineral exploitation activities in the area. Photo: HQ

Local efforts

Mr. Tran Duy Quoc Viet - Deputy Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dai Loc district said that currently the locality has 3 sand mines in operation, including Dai Son commune sand mine (Pha Le Company), Dai Hong commune sand mine (Truong Loi Company) and Dai Hoa commune sand mine (Quang Cu Company).

Recently, the district's interdisciplinary inspection teams have regularly inspected businesses' compliance with legal regulations on mineral exploitation.

After inspection, the district suspended the exploitation of Pha Le Company for 6 months. During this time, the company completed the correction of shortcomings in legal documents such as weighing stations, cameras, environment, yards, exploitation design, etc. On May 15, after the documents were guaranteed, the district allowed Pha Le Company to resume exploitation and required compliance with regulations on environment, traffic safety, sand gathering area, etc.

With two sand mines in Dai Hong and Dai Hoa communes, officers of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Dai Loc district regularly inspect and supervise to ensure exploitation is in accordance with regulations.

There were only a few times when the Dai Hong sand mine did not comply with traffic diversion; the number of vehicles entering and leaving the mine exceeded the prescribed number, so a decision was made to impose an administrative fine. The company has committed to strictly comply with the regulations, ensuring traffic safety in the area.

Dai Hong commune sand mine will expire next July. Photo: HQ

Along with 3 sand mines, Dai Loc also has 3 construction stone mines, of which 1 mine has temporarily stopped operating since the end of 2023 due to not ensuring regulations on gathering grounds. There is 1 land fill mine in Dai Nghia commune but has temporarily stopped operating due to the risk of causing landslides to residential areas; there are 2 clay mines in Dai Tan commune serving brick factory operations.

Mr. Viet said that currently, the demand for soil, sand and construction materials has become a hot issue in Quang Nam and Da Nang City. Therefore, the sand source in Dai Loc plays an important role in serving the projects of both localities. This is also a burden in the management work of the district.

However, there is a problem in mineral exploitation management: the Provincial People's Committee allows the Quang Nam Tax Department to purchase machinery, equipment, cameras, and weighing stations to monitor the exploitation activities of enterprises. However, recently, the Quang Nam Tax Department proposed that the Provincial People's Committee assign the district level (directly implementing is the Department of Natural Resources and Environment) to implement.

“Currently, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has a small staff, performing many different tasks, and there is only one mineral consultant. Meanwhile, the Dai Loc District Tax Department does not participate in supervision, but the task belongs to the Quang Nam Tax Department.

When inspecting and supervising, the Quang Nam Tax Department must directly participate, so the coordination is not timely and quick. It is recommended that the supervision of mineral exploitation should be authorized to the Dai Loc District Tax Department for closer coordination" - Mr. Viet proposed.

Focus on solving difficulties

Mr. Le Do Tuan Khuong - Vice Chairman of Dai Loc District People's Committee said that the 3 operating sand mines currently have a total exploited volume of ^136,000m3 .

However, the worrying thing is that this July, the sand mine in Dai Hong commune will end its exploitation period. This is a sand mine with a volume of up to ^73,000m3 , if it stops operating, it will affect the implementation of projects in and outside the district.

Provincial leaders inspect sand mining activities on Vu Gia River. Photo: HQ

To meet the actual demand for landfill and construction sand, the district has auctioned a landfill mine in Dai Nghia commune with an exploitation area of about 12 hectares, the estimated amount of sand is more than 7 million cubic meters. Up to now, the procedures and approval documents for the auction are available. The exploration unit is continuing to conduct specific inspections of the exploitable sand reserves.

In addition, Dai Loc has submitted to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment for consideration and licensing of two land mines of two enterprises Hung Thang and Tuan Thanh - Thanh Tam. These are two enterprises that carry out the transfer of exploration and exploitation rights; have completed all documents, procedures, and agreements in person before 2021.

However, the problem is that the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requires implementation according to Document 7733 of the Provincial People's Committee on organizing auctions of mining projects from 2021. Therefore, the process must start over from the beginning, and these two enterprises are on the brink of bankruptcy.

Mr. Bui Ngoc Anh - Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that the whole province has only 3 localities with large sand reserves: Duy Xuyen, Dai Loc, Dien Ban. Of which, Dai Loc has 48 mines with large reserves, currently 3 mines are in operation, 5 other mines are in the process of licensing mineral exploitation.

Regarding the proposal of the People's Committee of Dai Loc district around the Dai Nghia commune mine, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has granted an auction license since 2022 and requested the locality and enterprises to collect opinions and agreements from the people to supplement the dossier. However, the locality is quite slow in collecting opinions, leading to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment not being able to submit to the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee for permission to organize the auction.

Regarding the problems of the two enterprises Hung Thang and Tuan Thanh - Thanh Tam, to resolve them soon, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment proposed the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee to consider granting licenses according to the list of public investment projects to avoid auctions. This ensures legal regulations and creates favorable conditions for the implementation of projects because the two mines have large reserves and complete procedural documents.

“Currently, there are many procedures for granting mineral exploitation licenses, but the unit has made efforts to reduce them by about two-thirds. Localities should boldly propose and ensure that the unit will reduce the time for carrying out procedures to speed up the approval and auction process,” Mr. Anh said.

Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet emphasized that if mineral management is not done well, it can easily pose risks to security, order, and social security.

This is an issue of public concern, with many opinions, especially on planning, current exploitation status; licensing, re-licensing, auctions, etc. Through actual inspection on the Vu Gia River, it can be seen that Dai Loc has very large sand reserves. If there is a good dredging plan, it will both clear the flow and serve the projects, increasing revenue for the district.

“The spirit must be for the common goal, following the correct process, fully assessing environmental impacts; the auction work must be public, transparent, and free of group interests. In the coming time, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment must intervene to advise and support the locality to effectively promote mineral resources in Dai Loc” - Provincial Party Secretary Luong Nguyen Minh Triet said.

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