Authorities in the central coastal provinces seem helpless to curb a “gold rush” as thousands of people converge on the region with rudimentary tools, making it look like a battlefield.
Ho Van Thanh, police chief of Dakrong Commune in Quang Tri Province’s Dakrong District, said the mining has not only caused air pollution and landslides in the region, but also accidents.
A mine collapse in September killed a woman and injured three men, he said.
The police have staged some 30 raids in the last six months to catch the illegal miners.
However, these have not deterred the prospectors who continue to dig in mountains and rivers.
To avoid the police and other authorities, the miners start in the evening and work until early morning, fleeing to neighboring places when detected.
Among the worst affected is Phuoc Son District in Quang Nam Province.
Dinh Van Dong, chairman of the district’s Phuoc Duc Commune People’s Committee, said he does not have enough personnel or funds to stop the illegal mining and take over the mines.
Hoang Dinh Nhat, deputy head of the district Natural Resources and Environment Department, admitted the illegal prospecting continues because of poor management by local authorities.
While the police sometimes manage to expel the miners, the administrative authorities fail to stop them from returning, he said.
Besides, the prospectors often get advance information of the raids and flee into forests before the police arrive, he added.
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