A series of investigation articles by Lao Dong Newspaper pointed out a painful reality, a series of illegal construction projects, from hundreds to tens of thousands of square meters, clinging to both banks of the Lo River, even encroaching directly into the riverbed.
Notably, most of the solid structures and large areas belong to businesses operating in production and business, not small, spontaneous violations of the people.
Blocking the river with concrete and soil and rocks is not only an act of violating the law on land, dikes and water resource protection, but also a brutal intervention in the laws of nature.
According to experts, when the riverbed is encroached upon, the flow cross-section is no longer guaranteed, and the natural drainage capacity is reduced. The floodwater is accumulated, causing the river water level to rise suddenly in a short time, causing widespread flooding.
This is not a theory story, but a consequence from reality. That is the prolonged flooding situation from the end of September to the beginning of October 2025 causing Ha Giang 1 ward, Ha Giang 2 ward and some localities along the Lo River.
Not only causing floods, projects on both banks of the Lo River belonging to many construction and production companies, discharging many types of solid waste, liquid waste, and chemicals, causing serious pollution.
The river is "killed" not only by its deformed shape, but also by the increasingly depleted water quality.
What makes public opinion angry is that these violations are not new but have existed for a long time, functional agencies have repeatedly requested dismantling and restoring the original state, but almost no one complies.
Typically, Quy Linh Co., Ltd. began to occupy and build construction items from 2010, completed at the end of 2017. Dong Tung Gas Company poured soil and rocks to encroach on the Lo River bed and built factories and illegal works from 2017.
The question is why local management agencies allow these businesses to build illegally, existing for decades. It is necessary to set out the responsibility of individuals and units in the local management apparatus.
If there is no loosening, even tolerance, it is difficult to form concrete blocks encroaching on the riverbed as it is now.
After the recent heavy flooding, Tuyen Quang Provincial People's Committee requested to thoroughly handle violating and encroaching works, and restore the flow to the Lo River.
This is a necessary direction, but what people are waiting for is not another order on paper, but to deploy coercion to dismantle illegal works and restore the status quo to the Lo River.
