2 auctions with no participants
On October 24, a representative of the Quang Nam Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board (abbreviated as Quang Nam Traffic Construction Management Board) said that the Board is preparing to auction about 1.3 million cubic meters of sand from the third dredging of the Co Co River (Hoi An).
About 1.3 million cubic meters of sand dredged from the Co Co River were auctioned twice in October and November 2022, with a starting price of VND 144,000/m3, expecting to collect nearly VND 220 billion, but no individuals or organizations registered to participate in the auction.
According to the explanation of the Quang Nam Traffic Construction Management Board, the reason for the unsuccessful auction was because the volume of the auction was too large, the auction winner had to immediately pay nearly 200 billion VND, so the units did not have enough financial capacity and wharf to store the above amount of sand, if they won the auction.
At the same time, the transportation road connecting the storage yard to the outside is a small, narrow concrete road, while transporting sand requires large trucks, which can affect the environment, people's lives, traffic safety, etc.
In addition, according to the environmental assessment records as well as the material testing results of Asia Consulting and Testing Company Limited, this sand is contaminated with salt and cannot be used for construction (construction sand, plastering sand), it can only be used as a material for filling urban areas, and filling the foundation of some items for projects.
Keep the starting price the same at the 3rd auction
After two unsuccessful auctions, in 2023, the Quang Nam Traffic Construction Management Board proposed to approve an adjustment to reduce the starting price from 144,000 VND/m3 to 119,000 VND/m3, to continue organizing the auction according to regulations, but was not approved.
Quang Nam Department of Finance assessed that the determination of the reason for the failed auction and the proposal to adjust the starting price down were unfounded.
Inspecting the Co Co River project site in October 2024, Mr. Tran Nam Hung - Vice Chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee requested the Quang Nam Traffic Construction Management Board to urgently determine the price of sand (salted) before October 30, 2024 to organize sand auctions and release sand from waste dumps.
There is a plan to divide the volume of sand to be auctioned according to each storage point, or in lots, and sell in multiple batches to ensure feasibility.
“In the third auction, the Quang Nam Traffic Works Management Board still proposed that the Provincial People's Committee allow the application of a starting price of 144,000 VND/m3. In the immediate future, about 1.3 million m3 of sand will be auctioned,” said a representative of the Quang Nam Traffic Works Management Board.
Recently, the People's Committee of Dien Ban town has proposed the Provincial People's Committee to allow the locality to take about 9,000m3 of dredged sand from the Co Co River to construct a temporary dam to prevent salinity on the Vinh Dien River in 2025.
This is a temporary project, to prevent saltwater intrusion, ensuring fresh water for irrigation of about 2,000 hectares of agricultural land and people's needs, from February to September every year. After completing the task of preventing saltwater intrusion, the dam will be completely dismantled.
