Hanoi is planning to take control of illegal sand mining that is threatening the stability of agricultural production and the environment in and around the city.
A police officer inspects a barge carrying sand on the Red River. (Photo: tienphong.vn)
Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - Hanoi is planning to take controlof illegal sand mining that is threatening the stability of agriculturalproduction and the environment in and around the city.
The capital currently has four authorisedsand mines, but illegal exploitation is rife in the outlying districts ofPhuc Tho, Ba Vi and Dong Anh, Tien Phong (Vanguard) newspaperreported.
In early May, several sand dredges wereseen brazenly operating on the Hong (Red) River in Phuc Tho district. The mining has been slowly eating away at agriculturalland in Van Ha commune.
People in Dai Mach commune, Dong Anh district, are facing a similar situation. The issue has been persisting for more than adecade and has changed the Red River’s flow. Hundreds of fruit trees have been swept away whilelandslides have destroyed residential land, posing a threat tolocals.
Although the problem has been reported toauthorities several times, nothing has been done.
The People’s Committee of Dong Anh district said it wasdifficult to catch miners in the act. This passive response has allowed the crimeto continue.
At the end of May, Hanoi Water Police uncoveredtwo cases of illegal sand mining in Cam Thuong commune, Ba Vi district, and VanHa commune, Phuc Tho district.
However, according to experts, they were justthe tip of the iceberg, and simply patrolling the river was notenough to deter illegal sand miners.
A representative from the Department of NaturalResources and Environment said the city had not renewedmining licences for some time.
There had been ten mines with validlicences, but one had been suspended as the owner violated the law onnatural resources and the other five had yet tostart operations due to lack of road access.
Authorities had approved five other sandmines in Ba Vi and ✃Bac Tu Liem districts and planned to organise auctions forthe exploitation rights for these mines in the third quarter of2019.-VNS/VNA
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A police officer inspects a barge carrying sand on the Red River. (Photo: tienphong.vn) 
