The banks of the Red River continue to be illegally mined for sand, with both the river itself and the livelihoods of local people being affected.
“Many vessels come here to mine sand,” Nguyen Thi Ve, a 72-year-old local resident, told VnExpress. “They heavily exploit sand in this area, causing land erosion in my village,” he continued.
Much of the sand has been dredged in Phuc Tho District by An Thinh Company, although authorities claim there are issues with their mining license.
According to Le Anh Chien, Deputy Director of the Natural Resource Department in Phuc Tho District, the company has been using a license provided by authorities from nearby Vinh Phuc Province. The license, however, is only valid for the district from which it was issued, and not the area where they have been mining.
Their illegal mining has been reported to higher authorities, as district authorities lack the requisite equipment to prevent illegal sand mining.
Hanoi chairman Nguyen Duc Chung spoke to the press last Thursday and confirmed they are currently putting together a plan to end all illegal sand mining in the Red River Delta.
[Photo via Wikimedia Commons]
