Hai Phong tightens management of riverside wharves

Faced with the situation of many riverside wharves operating spontaneously, posing potential risks to waterway traffic safety, localities in the city have strengthened management and rectification work.

Many yards have not been fully licensed but still operate normally.

Many yards operate without permission.

Hai Phong has a dense river system, in which major rivers such as Cam River, Lach Tray River, Van Uc River, Thai Binh River ... both play the role of waterway traffic and are associated with cargo transportation and loading and unloading activities. This is also a favorable condition for sand, stone, and construction material gathering places to spring up along both river banks.

However, not all wharves have operating licenses. There are wharves that have existed for many years, operating normally but not yet qualified for a license. According to Mr. Trinh The Lu, Head of the Economic Department of An Quang Commune, there are 14 wharves along the river in the commune. Most of the spontaneous wharves have not had full procedures for operation and business for a long time. The wharves exist due to the people's need for raw materials. The wharves are located in important locations, during the process of natural disaster prevention, this is the place to gather materials for dike rescue.

Mr. Bui Van Khang, who runs a 2,560 ^m2 wharf in Ha Nam commune, said that his family was granted a wharf business license in 2014, and it will be renewed for another 25 years in 2025. Currently, his family's wharf trades in many types of minerals but has not been granted a license to trade sand and gravel into the wharf.

According to preliminary statistics from the Department of Construction, the city has more than 500 gathering points for raw materials and minerals, many of which are unlicensed or operating illegally. As a result, many river sections have encroached on safety corridors, and waterway vehicles entering and exiting do not meet technical standards, obstructing the flow and posing a potential risk of accidents. In addition, mining and gathering activities in many places do not comply with environmental protection regulations, leaving long-term consequences for the riverine ecosystem.

Urgently restore order

Wharves outside the planning must stop operating, wharves included in the planning must ensure relevant documents and procedures.

In recent times, many unplanned ports have been operating secretly. Many businesses have even expired their land leases but have not completed the procedures to extend them.

Since the beginning of the year, the city authorities have requested to stop operations and clear nearly 120 unplanned parking lots.

Mr. Do Chu Hung, Head of Thanh Ha Dyke Management Department (Hai Phong Department of Water Resources Management and Disaster Prevention) said that the unit has actively coordinated with communes to strengthen inspection and tighten management of wharf activities. The unit is managing 33 wharfs, of which 19 are in the planning and 14 are outside the planning. For the wharfs outside the planning, they have stopped operating and converted to exploiting earthworms and clams. The Department requires the owners of the wharfs to sign a commitment to ensure safety during the rainy and flood season and promptly complete the procedures to submit to the competent authority for licensing according to the provisions of the Law on Dykes.

Mr. Trinh The Lu, Head of the Economic Department of An Quang Commune, added that tightening the management of riverside wharves during the rainy and stormy season is to ensure safety and development. However, this needs to harmonize interests, not to be extreme and lead to "blocking rivers and banning markets".

According to Mr. Lu, Hai Phong is the gateway to the northern sea, the demand for the transit of construction materials and goods via waterways is very large. Therefore, along with eliminating illegal wharves, the city needs to reasonably plan the gathering wharves, invest in modern infrastructure, and re-establish the operational order of the wharves. Along with that, the locality should step up propaganda and mobilize wharves owners and businesses to cooperate in a sustainable manner.

According to Mr. Bui Hung Thien, Deputy Director of the City Department of Agriculture and Environment, in the face of the above situation, Hai Phong focuses on directing the re-establishment of order at riverside wharves. The City People's Committee requests communes, wards, and special zones to coordinate with the Dike Management Department in the area to notify organizations and individuals operating wharves, storage yards, trading in construction materials, and other activities outside riverbanks related to dikes and river flood drainage in the area to comply with the Law on Dikes and the Law on Natural Disaster Prevention.

There is currently no complete data on violations of wharves in the city, but immediately after implementing the two-level government, the Department of Agriculture and Environment requested specialized departments to coordinate with commune-level units to review violations to synthesize, classify, and report to the City People's Committee to re-establish order in the operation of riverside wharves as soon as possible.

Managing riverside wharves is not only a matter of handling violations but also linked to the urban development, environmental and logistics orientation of Hai Phong. If done well, the city will effectively exploit the potential of seaports and multimodal transport.

MINH NGUYEN

Source: https://baohaiphong.vn/hai-phong-siet-chat-quan-ly-ben-bai-ven-song-519906.html