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A sand mine in Quang Nam Province stops operation |
Mr. Nguyen Duc Loi, owner of a sand agent on Bui Ta Han Street in the Central City of Da Nang’s Ngu Hanh Son District, said that the price of sand sold on the spot is already at VND 360,000 per cubic meter excluding transportation fee, but no one can ensure the supply. He disclosed that all facilities around the district get sand from sand mines in Dai Loc District of the Central Province of Quang Nam but these mines have stopped operation.
Construction material shop owners had no choice but to increase the price. Loi lamented that if the construction sand shortage continues, he is likely to go bankrupt because he doesn’t have money to pay interest on bank loans.
According to construction sand agents in Da Nang City, the price of sand will be VND400,000 a cubic meter including transportation fee. Though the sand price increased by roughly VND100,000-VND150,000 a cubic meter, the supply has been disrupted continuously. Meanwhile, for the past month, the lack of sand supply in Quang Nam Province has led to a delay in construction projects in the province and contractors have been worried about missed deadlines and increased construction prices.
Mr. Do Xuan Tan, director of a construction company doing construction work in Nui Thanh district (Quang Nam province), said that since the Lunar New Year, construction materials suppliers, especially sand, announced that there was no stock although the company agreed to buy with a higher price to ensure the delivery scheduling.
He revealed that currently, the company is constructing 10 villas in Nui Thanh district to the stage of wall painting, but cannot find a place to supply sand. In order to keep up with the schedule, he accepted to pay more than VND 400,000 per cubic meter. If construction sand is still scarce, it is very difficult to make the handover schedule when it is time to do so, said Mr. Tan.
According to construction companies in Quang Nam Province and Da Nang city, most of the sand supply depends on mines in Quang Nam Province. By the end of 2022, Quang Nam Province authorities have granted licenses for the operation of more than 10 sand mines but only a few facilities downstream of Thu Bon and Vu Gia rivers have large reserves, the rest are sand mines in the midland and mountainous areas of the province have negligible reserves or cease to operate.
Vice Chairman of Quang Nam Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Hong Quang said the local administrations reported there was a shortage of sand sources for construction. Currently, Quang Nam Province government has asked sand mine owners to explain the cause of the construction sand shortage but has not received feedback.
In the short term, Quang Nam Province authority required sand mining owners to mine and sell according to the reserves as licensed. For example, they must exploit the available reserves to the maximum, avoiding artificial scarcity which triggered consumers to pay higher prices for the item.
The vice chairman said that the government has directed responsible agencies to conduct an inspection of the listing of prices and selling at the listed prices. If inspectors detect any violations, they will throw the book at violators according to regulations, Mr. Quang emphasized
