Prompt activation of river sand mines for key projects in the southern region

On July 2, the Inter-sectoral Working Group, led by Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam, held a meeting with the People's Committees of Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Hau Giang, Vinh Long, Ho Chi Minh city, and Can Tho to address issues regarding material sources for major transportation projects in the southern region.

Proposal for prompt issuance of sand mining permits

According to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha instructed the provinces of Tien Giang, Vinh Long and Ben Tre to contribute 10 million cubic meters of sand to the the Ring Road 3 project. The project is expected to receive at least 4.7 million cubic meters of sand in 2024. Additionally, the Ho Chi Minh city's Department of Transport, in coordination with local governments, has identified the locations, reserves, and estimated timeframes for completing the procedures for sand mining permit issuance.

Tien Giang province identified three sand mines with a total reserve of 5.7 million cubic meters, with permitting procedures expected to be completed by the end of August 2024. Similarly, Vinh Long province identified six sand mines with a total reserve of 2.8 million cubic meters, with permitting procedures expected to be completed by the end of August 2024. Ben Tre province identified six sand mines with a total reserve of 14.9 million cubic meters, with permitting procedures expected to be completed by December 2024.

With the aim of increasing the supply of materials for the project, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee proposed local People's Committees and the Inter-sectoral Working Group on materials to provide instructions and address procedural challenges in the issuance of sand mining permits.

According to Nguyen Thuc Hien, Vice Chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee, Component 2 of the Chau Doc - Can Tho - Soc Trang Expressway Project spans 37.42 kilometers with a total investment capital of over 9,000 billion VND. To date, Can Tho city has accomplished 99.48% of the land clearance task. However, the project faces difficulties due to a shortage of approximately 7 million cubic meters of sand for filling. Following instructions from the Government, An Giang province will support the project with 2.3 to 2.4 million cubic meters of sand. Accordingly, Can Tho city requires an additional 4.5 million cubic meters of sand for the project. The city has requested the Ministry of Transport and Tien Giang province for support with sand supply.

Tran Van Thi, Director of the My Thuan Project Management Board, has requested Ben Tre to supply 2 million cubic meters of sand for the Can Tho - Ca Mau Expressway Project. Similarly, Nguyen Van Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Hau Giang Provincial People's Committee, has also requested Ben Tre to supply 3.3 million cubic meters of sand for Hau Giang's project implementation.

Tien Giang and Ben Tre: Proposal to revise provincial planning

According to the 2021-2025 river sand mining plan, the current volume of sand extracted in the provinces of Tien Giang and Ben Tre will not be able to meet the targets set by the Government.

The Government assigned Tien Giang province with supplying 15.95 million cubic meters of sand for five projects, including 6.6 million cubic meters for the Ho Chi Minh city's Ring Road 3 Project. According to Pham Van Trong, Vice Chairman of the Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee, the province has reported to the Inter-sectoral Working Group and proposed the Prime Minister to adjust the Provincial Planning approved in Decision No. 1762 in order to meet the sand supply requirement. This adjustment will increase the river sand mining capacity from 4.5 million cubic meters per year to 9 million cubic meters per year for the years between 2021 and 2030.

Additionally, with the aim of effectively implementing three sand mines for the Ring Road 3 Project, the provincial leadership conducted on-site meetings with local governments at the sand mine areas on July 1 to gather initial feedback. This initiative has received strong support from village leadership and the District Party Secretary. Moreover, Tien Giang Provincial People's Committee requested the Inter-sectoral Working Group to issue guidelines and streamline the procedures for issuing sand mining permits, thereby expediting the issuance process and facilitating the supply of sand for key transportation projects in the southern region.

On the other hand, the Government assigned Ben Tre province with supplying 7.37 million cubic meters of sand for various projects. According to Nguyen Minh Tuan, General Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the province plans to propose five sand mine areas on the Ba Lai River for sand mining permit issuance under the special mechanism of Resolution No. 106/2023/QH15. Among these five mine areas, three are included in the ongoing Mineral Exploitation Rights Auction Plan. However, none of these areas have survey data for their current status.

Additionally, the province has held meetings with various departments and agencies to gather input on revising the provincial mining plan and facilitate multi-stage mineral exploitation. This adjustment aims to provide a legal basis for delineating areas exempt from mineral exploitation rights auctions; and address the current scarcity of filling materials. According to General Director Tuan, the adjustment involves integrating planned sand mines for the years between 2026 and 2030 into the current mining stage to fulfill the government's requested sand volume.

In order to address challenges in sand mining for key local transportation projects, Ben Tre province requested central ministries and agencies to provide implementation guidelines for the special mechanism under the National Assembly's Resolution No. 106; promptly issue criteria for assessing businesses that conduct feasibility study reports; issue a system of technical standards and regulations, unit prices, technical norms, and technical guidelines for assessing and analyzing the composition, content, and volume of minerals for dredging projects in sea port waters and inland waterway areas.

Promptly addressing challenges and shortening permit issuance time

After receiving feedback from local governments regarding the challenges in supplying filling materials, representatives from central ministries and agencies provided detailed information on relevant regulations and laws.

Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Duy Lam requested Tien Giang province to follow legal procedures for the issuance of sand mining permits, as provided by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. The province has estimated a timeline of approximately two months for the six-step mining permit issuance process. Subsequently, Deputy Minister Lam agreed and suggested the province to further shorten the planned timeline. The province must direct its Department of Natural Resources and Environment to review and prioritize procedural adjustments, thereby expediting the issuance of sand mining permits. On the other hand, Tien Giang must promptly revise the provincial planning to enhance its river sand mining capacity for remaining key transportation projects.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam requested members of the Inter-sectoral Working Group to address Ben Tre province’s proposals and recommendations. Regarding issues pertaining to land law regulations, he suggested Ben Tre to submit a document to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for discussion and solutions.

Additionally, Ben Tre Provincial People's Committee must direct local departments and agencies to study relevant legal regulations; and provide consultations to the province's leadership, with a focus on implementing the procedures for sand mining permit issuance to meet the project timelines. Furthermore, Ben Tre should learn from the experiences and procedures of neighboring provinces in organizing sand mining activities.

“The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has issued guidelines for the issuance of sand mining permits, so I propose that Ben Tre implement streamlined procedures for issuing these permits to increase efficiency,” commented Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Lam.