Phu My District in the central Binh Dinh Province resembles a gigantic work site as 20 titanium mining projects are under way simultaneously.
It has led to environmental problems on an equally large scale.
For instance, a swathe of protective forests along the coastal communes of My Thanh, My Tho, My An, and My Thang have disappeared, leaving 20-30-meter deep holes in sand in their wake.
Dinh Thi Mai of My Thanh said the forests had been considered guardian angels by the local villages for the last 30 years since they had kept out sand, wind, and water from land.
But after Anh Vi Trade Company Ltd began to exploit titanium, the forests were gradually cut down, she said, warning that the land will soon sink and houses will be swallowed by the sea.
The sea will soon flood the mainland, she further warned.
Upset with the company’s actions, residents in these communes razed its facilities several times, gathered in front of the district People’s Committee to protest, and intercepted the company’s vehicles on the highway.
Nguyen Hung, a company worker, said machines operate at full capacity every day, mining an average of 60 tons of titanium daily.
Workers dig holes 20-30 meters deep and since there is sometimes not enough water for the mining work, they pump groundwater, he added.
Cao Huu Lau, an official of Dien Hai Commune, said the company was licensed in 2009 to exploit titanium for three years but no agency has been assigned to monitor its work.
As a result, it has damaged the region’s environment, he said.
In Quang Tri Province’s Gio Linh and Vinh Linh Districts, huge tract of protective coastal forest has been levelled, allowing sand to encroach into farmlands and make them into deserts.
Le Thanh Hung of Gio Linh said these farms once yielded plenty of rice and sustained many generations of farmers but have now become barren also due to a water shortage caused by the mining.
Who benefit from the exploitation?
According to the Binh Dinh Mineral Management Division, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has licensed titanium mining on a total of 945 hectares in Phu My and Phu Cat Districts, while the province has licensed on over 360 hectares.
The province has also licensed 28 projects to explore and mine titanium in Nhon Hoi Economic Zone in Quy Nhon city.
This has become a hot issue questioned by many deputies at provincial People’s Council meetings.
Affected residents have written to authorities about the severe air pollution caused by the mining but have not received any response.
Nguyen Van Lich, head of the Phu My District Natural Resources and Environment Department, said titanium companies do not follow regulations.
There are 30 of them operating in Binh Dinh alone with a total output of 620,000 tons per year. Since most of them are small and use old technologies, they only export raw titanium.
An official from the province’s Industry and Trade Department said: “They exploited 400,000 tons of titanium in 2009.
“They would have earned around VND700 billion (US$36.8 million) but contributed less than VND100 billion to the province budget.”
An analyst, who wished to remain unnamed, said to improve titanium mining and processing, the ministry needs to be prudent about granting new licenses and should ensure they meet export standards.
