According to the reflection of people living on National Highway 70 through Luc Yen district, every evening dozens of large trucks carrying sand appear one after another on the road, causing traffic safety problems.
Especially after storm number 3, this activity became more bustling, making people angry.
Through observations by Lao Dong Newspaper reporters over many days in November, the section of the Chay River bordering An Lac Commune, Luc Yen District, Yen Bai Province with Long Khanh Commune, Viet Tien Commune, Bao Yen District, Lao Cai Province has many large-capacity sand dredgers operating. At some times, the ships come close to the shore on the Luc Yen District side to dredge sand, leaving the people helpless.
“You see, 4-5 dredgers are operating continuously, causing the riverbanks to erode more and more. Recently, during storm No. 3, many sandbanks emerged, but if they continue to exploit the riverbanks as they are now, subsidence on both sides of the riverbanks will be inevitable.
Not to mention, we don't know which ships are licensed, which are not, or where they are mining, but every evening they come close to the shore to suck sand," a resident of An Lac commune worriedly said.
Further, after being pumped onto boats, sand from the Chay River is transported to sand gathering areas in An Lac commune. Every 4 p.m. or so, many trucks come in and out here to transport sand to Bao Yen (Lao Cai) and Luc Yen (Yen Bai) to be sold in other provinces.
Large trucks often run in a row on the road in the late afternoon when many people and students are traveling, causing insecurity.
On sunny days it is dusty, on rainy days it is slippery, National Highway 70 through Luc Yen district is now a nightmare for people participating in traffic. The road surface is full of scattered sand and has become a trap for people traveling on this road, especially motorbikes.
On November 22, speaking with Lao Dong Newspaper, the leader of An Lac commune said that Van Loc Vinh Phuc Joint Stock Company was only licensed to exploit sand from Chay River in Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province. As for Luc Yen district, Yen Bai province, this company is not allowed to exploit sand.
“They mined and gathered sand on the riverbank in An Lac and then transported it elsewhere. The day before, we inspected and suspended two sand gathering sites that were created due to encroachment on Yen Bai province’s land leased to hydropower plants,” said the leader of An Lac commune.
Regarding the report of many sand dredgers near the shore of An Lac commune, the leader said: “Many dredgers and suction ships are operating, but I don’t see any ship numbers to check which company they belong to. The commune can’t do anything to them. If they exploit the wrong location or coordinates, the superiors will have to deal with them.”
Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Son - Head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Luc Yen district also confirmed: "Van Loc Vinh Phuc Joint Stock Company is only licensed to exploit on the Chay River in Bao Yen district, Lao Cai province. If it is determined that they are exploiting the wrong boundary and encroaching on this side, we will inspect and handle it."
