Concentrating on exploitation, Soc Trang does not let the highway sand lack

Many obstacles in exploitation

Information from the Department of Agriculture and Environment (DONRE) of Soc Trang province said that as of early June this year, the unit has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue 6 sand mining confirmations to contractors. Along with that, 2 mineral exploitation licenses at MS 01 and MS 04 mines have also been extended to serve the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway Component 4 Project through Soc Trang province and the Dai Ngai bridge project.

In addition, there are currently 2 sand mines preparing to be exploited with a total reserve of about 1 million m3. As of June 4, the whole province has exploited about 1.539 million m3 of sand.

According to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, despite many efforts in licensing, sand mining in Soc Trang is facing many obstacles. The specific geology of the area at the end of the Hau River often causes sand in the mines to be mixed with mud and fine sand, making it difficult to exploit and increasing processing costs. In addition, the mobilization of specialized equipment and vehicles has encountered many difficulties due to technical requirements and is still stuck in the registration and inspection stages.

Some contractors and mining units have not been proactive in exploitation, do not ensure output and progress as committed; lack of means, equipment for exploitation, transportation, equipment that is often damaged, have not been repaired or replaced in time, leading to local sand shortages in some packages. Sand mining and transportation is not rhythmic and ineffective. Although the authorities have issued many corrections and reminders, the contractor and the mining unit have not yet recovered the situation.

In addition, the sand price at the mine is currently only applied at the provisional rate of 81,950 VND/m3. According to the units, this price is still low, so contractors are not confident in exploitation.

Focus on removing

In this situation, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment has advised the People's Committee of Soc Trang province to proactively propose to the Prime Minister for approval to add 3 new mining areas to the province's planning with a total reserve of more than 1.5 million m3. At the same time, it is recommended to select a capable contractor to quickly implement exploitation procedures.

The province is also considering the option of using sea sand to pilot the embankment for sections of the Component Project 4 with lower salinity than the salinity in the sea sand.

According to calculations, the total estimated maximum exploitation volume at the 6 river sand mines by August 2025 is about 3 million m3. For the remaining volume of about 3.6 million m3, sea sand will be used, including 2 million m3 from Area B1.

At a recent meeting, Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province Tran Van Lau requested relevant units to urgently prepare documents to grant export rights to planned mines, and must complete the licensing by June 30, 2025 at the latest.

The leaders of the Provincial People's Committee also directed Project Management Board 2 to review all packages lacking sand to allocate appropriately, ensuring the progress committed to the province. In case it is not possible to continue exploiting river sand, it is necessary to propose a pilot plan for using sea sand, prioritizing sections with similar salinity.

The province also requires relevant units to proactively propose the time to buy commercial sand to submit to competent authorities for consideration, in order to ensure that there is no interruption in the construction of key expressways.