Removing obstacles to sand and gravel extraction for construction materials.

Faced with difficulties and obstacles in the exploration and exploitation of sand and gravel from riverbeds, the Department of Geology and Minerals (Ministry of Agriculture and Environment) has guided and supported the city in resolving these issues, aiming to meet the demand for construction materials for projects.

Efforts to resolve difficulties and obstacles are actively being made to explore and exploit sand and gravel from riverbeds for use as common construction materials. Photo: HOANG HIEP

Identifying difficulties

Recently, after winning the auction, some mine owners who developed plans to explore for sand and gravel in riverbeds encountered difficulties in establishing monitoring stations to fulfill the requirements for researching and forecasting impacts on the riverbed, banks, and floodplains as stipulated in Circular No. 02/2024/TT-BTNMT of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment ).

Exploring for sand and gravel in riverbeds in mountainous and hilly areas is more challenging because the riverbeds are narrow, short, and steep; water levels and flow change seasonally... At the same time, the exploration time based on monitoring will be longer, at least one year, to fully assess based on data from monitoring stations over all four seasons.

According to Nguyen Hong An, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, the city currently has five mine owners who are in the process of preparing documents and procedures for exploration and approval of riverbed sand and gravel reserves, but are facing obstacles due to the requirement to establish monitoring stations after winning the auction for mining rights. The city has twice sent written requests to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment for guidance on resolving these issues so that these five sand mines can be put into operation.

Mr. Pham Viet Huy, representative of the Legal and Geological Activities Control Department of the Department of Geology and Minerals, acknowledged that in the past, some localities have encountered difficulties in installing monitoring stations to obtain data for developing projects to explore sand and gravel in riverbeds.

Circular No. 40, issued by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on July 2, 2025 (amending Circular No. 02/2024/TT-BTNMT), stipulates the collection of hydro-lithodynamic data on characteristic seasonal hydrological regimes and current data on bottom sediment deposition rates, without necessarily requiring the establishment of monitoring stations.

In some localities, when preparing project proposals for riverbed sand and gravel exploration, the consulting unit established a simulation model based on hydrological regime data collected from meteorological and hydrological stations. The establishment of monitoring stations is only applied to large river sections with steep slopes and high potential for sedimentation and erosion...

According to Dang Quoc Tien, Head of the Central Geological and Mineral Resources Sub-Department, the unit will draft a document to be submitted to the Department of Geology and Mineral Resources to guide Da Nang city in collecting data to establish a computational model (simulating hydrodynamic processes (water level, flow), sediment transport, and river morphology changes (erosion, sedimentation), and the dispersion of suspended matter caused by mining activities...). With this approach, the simulation model can be completed within 1-2 months, providing results to finalize the riverbed sand and gravel exploration project.

Propose practical solutions.

Mr. Pham Viet Huy also stated that current legal regulations have removed many difficulties and obstacles in the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources for common construction materials, including those that Da Nang city has requested guidance on and solutions for.

Currently, there is a huge demand for sand and gravel as construction materials for projects in the city. Photo: HOANG HIEP

For example, organizations and individuals legally exploiting minerals are given priority for deeper exploration and expansion without having to bid for mining rights to fully assess and control the mineral body for the type of mineral for which a mining license has been granted. At the same time, this does not necessarily have to conform to the planning. After expanded exploration and deeper exploration confirms mineral reserves, that area is updated in the planning.

For existing mines where the mine owner requests to expand and deepen exploration, this is still permitted. This means that an expanded exploration and deepening permit will be granted simultaneously with the remaining valid mining license. Later, the city will also flexibly adjust the issued mining license or issue a new mining license and close the mine that has been extended.

In cases where minerals such as soil and sand are washed away or deposited by floods on people's land, the land users are allowed to reclaim the land, and if there is a surplus, they can sell it to other projects after obtaining a certificate confirming the recovery of the minerals for commercial purposes; otherwise, it can be leveled to the side. Local authorities can also organize the leveling of the land to restore it to its original state for the people. Simultaneously, they can designate an area to store the leveled minerals and put them up for auction. If an organization or individual wins the auction, they can use the minerals; if no organization or individual participates in the auction, these minerals will be used as ordinary construction materials for projects funded by public investment.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/go-vuong-khai-thac-cat-soi-lam-vat-lieu-xay-dung-3314601.html