Many residents in the provinces of Gia Lai and Quang Tri have reported ongoing, increasingly complex illegal sand mining activities that have caused severe erosion along rivers and streams. This escalating issue demands immediate and decisive intervention to protect vital natural resources.
A resident of Long Thanh Hamlet said there are two main sand depots in the area. One of them, operated by a man who bought forest land near a stream, has been turned into a large-scale, disguised illegal mining site. He built a solid house on the land and secretly mined sand. A wide road was constructed from his garden directly to the stream to facilitate the transport of illegally extracted sand, which is stockpiled in the garden. Once enough sand is gathered, trucks are mobilized to carry it away for sale.
In Quang Tri Province, illegal sand mining has evolved into new methods along the Gianh, Long Dai, and Kien Giang rivers. A local inhabitan in Tuyen Hoa Commune expressed his concern that sand-mining boats from Ba Don usually start their activities around 3 a.m. and leave by dawn making it challenging for authorities to apprehend them during their operations.
The residents of Van Hoa and Chau Hoa are growing increasingly anxious, as erosion is now threatening to encroach perilously close to their farmland and residences.
Quang Tri Police strengthen crackdown on illegal sand mining
The Quang Tri Provincial Police have taken various actions to enhance patrols, inspections, and enforcement against illegal sand mining activities. Recently, officials discovered five unlawful mining incidents along the Gianh and Kien Giang rivers, seizing hundreds of cubic meters of untraceable sand, as well as several boats and sand suction machines.
A number of individuals were apprehended while extracting sand during the night. Importantly, at the site of My Trung Dam in Kien Giang River, police dismantled an unauthorized sand depot, confiscating two boats and two sand suction machines.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Huu Trung, Deputy Head of the Economic Police Division of Quang Tri stated that the unit has launched an intensive campaign to aggressively target and eliminate those involved in illegal sand operations ranging from transport and gathering sites to sand depots along major rivers in the province. To tackle the issue thoroughly, police force has mobilized all available resources to join the effort.
