On the afternoon of November 20, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha had a working session with 13 provinces and cities in the Mekong Delta to promote expressway projects in the Mekong Delta region.
Reporting to the Deputy Prime Minister, the leader of the Ministry of Transport said that the Mekong Delta region is implementing four key expressway projects (My An - Cao Lanh expressway; Cao Lanh - An Huu expressway; Can Tho - Hau Giang, Hau Giang - Ca Mau expressway; Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway).
Up to now, the supply of roadbed sand materials with a total reserve of about 56.75/54.45 million m3 has been determined for 4 projects. Of which, the Can Tho - Ca Mau project is 25.7 million m3/demand of 18.5 million m3. The Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang expressway project has a total source of 24 million m3 and the Cao Lanh - An Huu expressway project is 7.05 million m3.
According to the leader of the Ministry of Transport, although the basic reserves are sufficient, the exploitation capacity of sand mines is still limited and has not met the construction progress. Some mines in Dong Thap province (supplying for the Can Tho - Ca Mau Project) had to stop, so the volume could not be guaranteed. An Giang province has stopped exploiting 6/9 mines since the end of October 2024 due to the exhaustion of exploitation reserves, the quality of some mines does not meet the requirements, some mines are exploited too deep or there is a risk of riverbank landslides.
Many mines in Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Soc Trang provinces, when surveyed and assessed for quality and reserves, do not meet requirements, so it is necessary to find other mines to replace them, affecting the progress of mine licensing. In addition, river sand mines in Soc Trang province have sufficient reserves but very limited exploitation capacity, so it is necessary to proactively use sea sand to reduce pressure on river sand resources.
Mr. Lam Hoang Nghiep - Permanent Vice Chairman of Soc Trang Provincial People's Committee - said that through initial survey, there were 8 sand mines that could be exploited, however, when re-evaluated, 4 sand mines did not ensure the reserves and quality. Particularly for MS 11 sand mine, through assessment, the sand layer is distributed deep (from 25m - 45m from the river bottom) under a 15-20m thick clay layer, the resource level 333 is about 7.2 million m3. Therefore, it is recommended that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment guide the province in exploiting deep sand at MS11 river sand mine to serve the key transport project; continue to review, allocate and coordinate sand mines between provinces to ensure material sources for key projects in the regional transport sector.
Mr. Nguyen Van Vinh - Chairman of Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee - said that currently, some commercial sand mines supplying special projects in the area have not yet agreed on prices, leading to difficulties for localities and contractors.
Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha emphasized that expressway projects in the Mekong Delta are particularly important projects that pave the way and create development momentum for the region.
The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to coordinate with localities, project management boards, and contractors to review and summarize the reserves and capacity of sand mines according to the progress of each project; and calculate additional options for using sea sand to address risks in calculating sand sources for filling.
The Ministry of Construction shall preside over and coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to review regulations and standards for handling sea sand for construction and landfill activities.
Regarding the exploitation of sea sand in areas where management boundaries between localities have not been determined, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the spirit of "this is a common resource to serve the national key project and will end after completion". He requested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the Ministry of Home Affairs to urgently determine the management boundaries of sea areas between localities.
The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Finance, the contractor, and localities to agree on the price of sand from commercial mines for the expressway project based on the principle of "harmonizing benefits and sharing difficulties" but in compliance with legal regulations.
