Uneasy at the foot of Len But quarry

Have a house but dare not live there

For nearly a year now, more than 30 households in Yen Xuan hamlet, Tan Xuan commune, Tan Ky district have been living in constant fear of the quarry resuming operations. These are households living right below the Len But quarry of Tin Hoang Minerals Company Limited.

“Every time a mine explodes, it shakes like an earthquake, it’s unbearable,” said Le Thi Oanh (34 years old), from Yen Xuan hamlet. Oanh’s house is quite sturdy, having been built just 5 years ago. However, Oanh said that after the most recent mine explosion, the walls of the house were cracked. This is also the house closest to the mine, only about 100m away.

The quarry is located quite close to the residential area. Photo: Tien Hung

Pointing to the roof of her house that was damaged by the aftershocks of the blast, Ms. Hoang Thi Hoa (50 years old) - a resident living near the quarry said that every time the quarry was in operation, she had a house but now she dares not stay there for fear of it collapsing at any time. "Not only during the day, but at night, my family and many other households have to endure the rock dust from the crusher of this quarry. Since the quarry resumed operations, the source of domestic water has been depleted because the main water source has been blocked by this quarry. Life has been turned upside down, the people have suffered! If this continues, people will have to leave their homes," Ms. Hoa said indignantly.

Similar to Ms. Hoa, for many months, Mr. Phan Van Khoa and his wife have had to sleep in a dilapidated kitchen with a blanket. Because the main room, where the couple's bedroom is located, has a crack that is more than 2 meters long, running along the wall. This crack is more than 1cm wide in some places, enough to lie on the bed but still see outside through the crack.

“This crack appeared after the company detonated mines at the end of 2024. Since the company announced it would resume operations in April last year, they have only detonated a few mines and this has already happened. If they operate regularly, detonating every day, I don’t know how many days this house can last. Because we are afraid of the house collapsing, we have to move to the kitchen to live,” said Mr. Khoa, adding that he does not need the company to compensate for cracking the house, he only wants the quarry to stop operating.

Cracks on Mr. Khoa's bed. Photo: Tien Hung

According to Mr. Khoa, the concern of the people here is not only the damage caused by mining blasts to houses, but also the pollution of the water source. “The underground water in this hamlet flows down from the quarry. Before, whenever the quarry was in full swing, we could not use the water pumped up for daily use because there was a lot of oil. The oil used for the machinery to mine the stone was poured into the water source from above, then seeped into the domestic water source,” said Mr. Khoa.

Len But quarry was licensed to exploit white marble in 2009. However, after a short period of exploitation, facing fierce opposition from the people, the quarry owner stopped operations. Recently, Tin Hoang Minerals Company Limited bought this quarry and informed the people that it would resume operations from April 2024. However, when only a test blast was carried out, people came to protest, because they thought it would affect their houses.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa (75 years old) said that until now she is still scared when she remembers the time this quarry exploded, causing rocks to fly into her house when it first started operating in 2009. “That time, my grandson was sleeping in bed when a loud explosion caused a commotion. At the same time, a rock as big as a rice bowl flew from the quarry, pierced the roof tiles and fell right next to my grandson who was sleeping. How lucky. Thinking back now, I am still scared,” Ms. Hoa said.

The house closest to the quarry. Photo: Tien Hung

Environmental impact needs to be reassessed

Not only worried about the blasting, many people in Yen Xuan hamlet also complained about the dust and noise every time the quarry was put into operation. “Every time the quarry is in operation, white rock dust flies all over the hamlet. Not only that, the noise also affects daily life. Every time there is a blast, the children in the hamlet cry out,” said Ms. Hoang Thi Khanh (47 years old), adding that her house was also cracked after the company blasted the mine at the end of 2024. She wants to be compensated for these damages.

Mr. Phan Vu Hung - Chairman of Tan Xuan Commune People's Committee said that the concerns of Yen Xuan hamlet residents are well-founded. "Not only are they worried about the danger of mine explosions, but they are also worried about environmental pollution, especially water pollution. The government's viewpoint is to revoke the license of this quarry and stop mining," Mr. Hung said.

Quarry seen from above, according to locals, water sources are also affected when the quarry operates continuously. Photo: Tien Hung

According to Mr. Hung, this quarry was previously licensed to another company. In mid-2024, after the acquisition, Tin Hoang Minerals Company Limited announced that it would resume mining operations after many years of suspension. However, as soon as the test blast was conducted, it was met with opposition from the people.

“Up to now, after nearly a year since the company announced that the quarry would resume operations, they still have not been able to mine. They only test-detonated a few mines in April 2024, and by the end of 2024, they continued to detonate a few more to clear the quarry, but then people unanimously said that their houses were greatly affected, with many cracks. We also went to the households to check the situation, some households were severely affected, and requested compensation of 600 million VND. As for the other households, they did not give an amount, depending on the quarry,” Mr. Hung added.

Another crack in Mr. Khoa's house. Photo: Tien Hung

The Chairman of Tan Xuan Commune People's Committee said that in the past, the local government has also organized many dialogues, but so far there has been a deadlock: "Since the blasting to clear the site at the end of 2024, the company has not exploded anymore. Because of the opposition of the people, the company then brought down the machinery to move to another place, but the people did not agree. The people requested that before the company leaves, it must also compensate for the blasting that caused cracks in the houses."

Discussing this issue, a leader of Tan Ky District People's Committee said that after receiving feedback from local people about the consequences of this quarry, the District People's Committee organized a meeting to discuss solutions to implement the recommendations of Tin Hoang Mineral Company Limited.

Tan Ky District People's Committee has also requested departments and branches to quickly investigate people's complaints and recommendations about blasting activities affecting households' properties, and to have appropriate compensation and support solutions. At the same time, there are appropriate support policies for people affected during mining and transportation activities to ensure the legitimate rights and interests of people and businesses. Businesses are required to have solutions and choose appropriate mining technology to minimize the impact on people around the mine area.

“The government’s viewpoint is to ensure the interests of the people. If Tin Hoang Mineral Company continues to directly affect the lives of the people during its exploitation, the district will send a document to higher authorities to take drastic measures,” said the leader of Tan Ky District People’s Committee.

Source: https://baonghean.vn/bat-an-duoi-chan-mo-da-len-but-10295042.html