Fishermen live by the sea
Mr. Nguyen Van Phuc (born in 1968, a fisherman in Quang Dong commune, Quang Trach district, Quang Binh province) goes to the beach every morning to fish.
Many years ago, he and his fellow fishermen went to the open sea, but in recent years, he has switched to fishing near shore. The beach in Tho Son village (Quang Dong commune) is where Mr. Phuc and other fishermen in the area fish.
Fish and shrimp are abundant here. On a normal day, it's enough for him to earn a few hundred thousand dong. During the breeding season, there are days when he can pull in a ton of shrimp.
When he heard that this location was proposed to dump dredged material from the Hon La International Port Project, he was confused: “Not only me but many fishermen here go to this beach to fish. If the location here is approved, it will be too inconvenient for the people. Therefore, I hope that the authorities will consider keeping this beach for people to make a living.”
Mr. Nguyen Van Nhu (born in 1960, a resident of Tho Son village) has been involved in nearshore fishing for many years. His net pulling team has from 15 to 20 people.
Mr. Nhu's crew alone hauls at least a few hundred kilos of seafood every day, and in good seasons they can haul a ton or a hundred kilos of seafood. Each ton brings in about 10 million VND in revenue, which is divided equally among the crew.
“If the dredged material is dumped on the beach, it will be very difficult for people to fish and live here. We hope that the authorities and the environment will consider a solution to make it easier for fishermen to fish close to shore,” Mr. Nhu shared.
About 100 households were affected.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Hien - Chairman of Quang Dong Commune People's Committee said that after receiving the proposal document from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of the province, many people suggested that the commune should keep the beach area in Tho Son village for fishermen.
The proposed dredged material dumping area will affect approximately 100 households in three villages: Tho Son, Minh Son and Dong Hung. This area is a concentrated living and working area for local people, especially fishermen.
“We have consulted with departments, branches, and the provincial People's Committee to consider other locations so that people have a place to live and catch shrimp and other types of fish. If we dump dredged material at this location, it will affect the current situation. When the weather enters the rainy and stormy season, a large amount of dredged material will flow into the sea, affecting the lives of fishermen. In particular, it will affect the manual fishing methods of the people here,” said Mr. Hien.
Previously, as Lao Dong reported, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Quang Binh province sent a document to the People's Committee of Quang Binh province approving the location for dumping dredged materials for the Hon La International General Port Project of Hon La Port Joint Stock Company (in Quang Dong commune).
It is known that the dredging of the channel, turning area and berthing area of the project will generate dredged material. The volume of excess dredged material during the construction process is about 300,000m³ and the volume of dredging for maintenance of the channel and water area of the project is about 100,000m³.
In phase 1, the proposed area for the dredged material dumping site is about 8.41 hectares, located on plot 7, map sheet 33, Tho Son village, Quang Dong commune, about 1km west of the Hon La International Port construction site. According to the company's report, the dredged material at the Hon La International Port project area consists of 4 layers: layer 1: clay mud, layer 2: fine sand, layer 3: clay mud mixed with thin sand layers, layer 4: Ryolite stone.
