Removing sandbanks "occupying villages" after floods

Lộc An |

Nearly 95,000m3 of yellow sand was poured into Van Ban commune, Lao Cai in October last year by floodwaters, and so far there has been no definitive treatment method.

In October 2025, the impact of storm No. 10 caused a large flood, water flooded into Lang Chut village (Van Ban commune), burying 30 houses and destroying many civil works.

After the floodwaters receded, through counting, there were about 95,000m3 of sand mixed with mud and soil silted up around the village.

This huge amount of material not only changes the flow of Chut stream but also increases the risk of flash floods and waterlogging, directly threatening infrastructure safety and the lives of people in downstream areas.

To cope with the consequences of natural disasters, Van Ban Commune People's Committee has approved the project to collect, gather and manage silted sand on Chut stream.

The project has a total investment of more than 11 billion VND, funded from the commune budget. The collection package has been selected through public bidding on the National Bidding Network System.

According to report No. 409/BC-UBND, as of the beginning of July 2026, the construction unit has collected about 30,000m3 of sand, reaching nearly 32% of the set plan. This has significantly relieved many siltation points and improved the drainage capacity of Chut stream.

However, to date, 5 gathering yards with a total area of more than 7,600m3 have been almost full after receiving about 30,000m3 of sand. More than 65,000m3 of sand remaining under the stream bed cannot be further collected because there is no more space for gathering.

According to Van Ban Commune People's Committee, if the volume of sand collected is not treated promptly, additional management and maintenance costs will arise, posing a risk of loss of public property and seriously affecting the progress of drainage before the upcoming rainy and flood season.

Faced with that situation, the locality has reported to the Lao Cai Provincial People's Committee and requested relevant departments and agencies to guide specific handling plans.

Van Ban commune affirmed that the entire volume of sand originated from disaster recovery activities, so it is identified as public property managed by the State, not minerals exploited for commercial purposes.

On that basis, the commune proposed that the Provincial People's Committee allow the determination of the value and organize a public auction of about 30,000m3 of collected sand, in accordance with the law on management and use of public assets.

After the gathering yards are cleared, the locality will continue to collect about 65,000m3 of remaining sand, in order to complete the clearing of Chut stream before the new rainy season.

Mr. Nguyen Duc Tuan - Head of the Economic Department of Van Ban commune - said that in addition to arranging standing forces, the Commune People's Committee has installed a camera system at the gathering yards to monitor the entire process of transportation, gathering and management of sand after collection.

The locality really hopes that departments and agencies will soon create conditions and guide the implementation of necessary procedures to be able to proceed with the auction of this collected sand.

Lộc An
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