Early proposal but not accepted
On April 5, speaking with Lao Dong, Mr. Nguyen Quoc Chuong - Chairman of the People's Committee of Dong Van commune, Thanh Chuong district (Nghe An) - said that since 2023, in response to people's reflection on the situation of landslides due to sand and gravel mining, the locality has sent a document to the competent authority requesting consideration of cutting the area of the sand and gravel mine of Thanh Chuong Hotel and Transportation Exploitation Joint Stock Company.
"However, the commune's proposal was not approved. We are not irresponsible to the people, but have accompanied, petitioned, inspected and requested clear handling" - Mr. Chuong affirmed.
Request to stop exploitation, review the license
In March 2025, the People's Committee of Dong Van commune continued to inspect the mine site, discovering more than 1,000m2 of landslide soil outside the licensed area. After that, many people in Dong Van commune gathered to protest, saying that the sand dredging activity on the alluvial plains along the Lam River caused serious riverbank erosion, directly affecting production and life.
Faced with the above situation, Thanh Chuong District People's Committee has requested the enterprise to temporarily suspend exploitation, organize environmental renovation and restoration in accordance with the approved plan. At the same time, the Nghe An Department of Agriculture and Environment has organized an interdisciplinary inspection team, determining that there are 1,117m2 of landslides outside the mine area, requesting businesses to put up warning signs, level and bring the mine to a safe state.
Notably, the inspection team also agreed to cut about 2 hectares of the total licensed mine area, and at the same time requested the People's Committee of Nghe An province to reconsider the suitability of License No. 2905/GP-UBND issued in 2018, with a term of 24 years allowing the exploitation of more than 1 million m3 of sand and gravel on an area of more than 20 hectares.
In addition, businesses are required to install vehicle journey monitoring devices to ensure exploitation and transportation activities are in accordance with regulations. The District People's Committee requested Dong Van commune to continue to strengthen inspection, supervision, prompt handling of violations or reporting to competent authorities.
The case is currently being monitored, assessed for impact and handled according to legal regulations.
