According to the reporter's records, at more than 5:00 p.m. on March 13, on the Tra Khuc River, through Quang Phu Ward, Quang Ngai City, there were three boats illegally sucking sand. Each boat has two people, one holding a tube to plunge into the riverbed, the other waiting for the sand to be full and then starting the engine to bring the sand to shore. At this sand mining "werke", the sound of the sand suction machine resounded loudly, the activity took place openly during the day without any intervention from the authorities.
Within just 15 minutes, the three boats had sucked all the sand, the subjects quickly pulled the anchor and let the boat flow towards Thach Bich bridge in Tinh Ha commune, Son Tinh district and Tinh An Tay commune, Quang Ngai city. When it reaches shore, the excavator will help bring sand from the boat to the staging area. After the sand drains the water, dump trucks will come to pick it up and transport it for consumption.
Illegal sand mining on Tra Khuc River also occurred along Hoang Sa Street, passing through Tinh An Commune and Truong Quang Trong Ward, Quang Ngai City from 11pm to 4am the next morning. Many rafts are hidden under the Tra Khuc River to illegally pump sand. After the sand is sucked up, trucks will be waiting on Hoang Sa Street, following each other to transport the sand to the staging areas. According to records, there are about 5 motor rafts in this area that suck up sand, it is calculated that each night there are nearly 100 trips (each vehicle carries 7-12m3 of sand) illegally transporting sand through Hoang Sa Street. According to research information, the current sand price fluctuates at 300,000 VND/m3. Thus, only illegal mining sites in Tinh An commune can illegally profit a large amount of money each night.
It is difficult to understand that although illegal mining has been going on for a long time, the authorities have not yet taken measures to completely handle it, leading to loss of resources, causing insecurity and disorder, affecting the ecosystem and increasing riverbank erosion.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Thanh Trung (character's name has been changed), a resident of Ngoc Thach village, Tinh An commune, said that illegal sand mining in Ngoc Thach village has been going on since last year, but for unknown reasons, the authorities have not yet thoroughly handled it. The rampant sand bandits not only cause loss of resources but also affect the lives of people in the village, especially the noise from sand dredgers and sand trucks transported at night.
The leader of Tinh An Commune People's Committee said that the commune has recommended that the Quang Ngai City People's Committee and the Provincial Police take measures to thoroughly handle the illegal sand mining in the area. However, the superiors only requested to continue to increase patrols, while the commune lacked means to arrest violators.
