Difficult to manage

Although the reserves are not large, Dak Lak is a locality with diverse mineral resources. However, state management of mineral resources still faces obstacles; the role of inspection and supervision by localities over mineral mining enterprises still has many shortcomings.

According to geological and mineral survey documents, many types of minerals have been discovered in the province, including: gold, precious stones (sapphire, garnet, opal, etc.), crystalline quartz, lead-zinc, laterite iron, feldspar, limestone, marble, paving stones, peat, building stone, clay, and construction sand. Specifically, feldspar has been found in Ea Kar and Ea H'leo districts (in the form of mineralization points). Common building materials are distributed throughout most of the province's 15 districts, towns, and cities. Construction sand is concentrated along the Krông Nô, Krông Na, Krông Pắc, Ea H'leo, and Krông Bông rivers. Clay for brick and tile production is abundant in the districts of Krông Ana, Krông Pắc, Ea Kar, Cư Kuin, Lắk, and Krông Bông. Peat is found in the districts of Cư M'gar, Krông Ana, Krông Pắc, Krông Búk, Krông Năng, and scattered in some other districts. In addition, lead has been discovered in Ea Nam commune (Ea H'leo district), and quartz in Ea Trul commune (Krông Bông district). Paving stones are distributed in many places throughout the province, such as the districts of Ea H'leo, Ea Kar, Lắk, Krông Bông, M'Drắk, and Buôn Đôn. Laterite iron is concentrated in the districts of Cư M'gar, Ea H'leo, Ea Kar, Krông Búk, Krông Năng, and Buôn Hồ town, with considerable reserves, and has been designated and announced as a national mineral reserve area. Additionally, gold has been discovered in the districts of Ea Kar, M'Drắk, Ea H'leo, and Krông Năng on a small scale, mainly in the form of alluvial deposits, and has not yet been investigated or assessed in detail.

A mining area belonging to a company in Hoa Phu commune (Buon Ma Thuot city).

With its abundant mineral resources, Dak Lak has a significant advantage in developing its mining industry to serve socio-economic development. During the period 2020-2024, the Provincial People's Committee granted 16 mineral exploration licenses to organizations and businesses; and issued, renewed, and adjusted 37 mineral exploitation licenses. In addition, the Provincial People's Committee also permitted mineral exploitation along with overburden extraction for leveling purposes in 19 quarry areas. Currently, there are 70 valid mineral exploitation licenses in the province, including 47 licenses for quarrying stone for ordinary construction materials, 22 licenses for quarrying sand for ordinary construction materials, and 1 license for quarrying clay for brick and tile production.

"Mineral extraction activities mainly take place in remote areas with inadequate information infrastructure, making management and supervision very difficult, leading to evasion of weighing stations and cameras," said the Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment.

The main mineral resources are sand and stone used as common construction materials, clay for brick and paving stone production, and soil for leveling construction sites. The licensed mines are mostly small to medium-sized, with mining areas ranging from 1.7 hectares to 51 hectares; the largest capacity is 180,000 m³/year; the largest licensed reserve area is 2.4 million m³, and the smallest is 100,000 m³ of raw mineral resources.

According to Mr. Hoang Van San, Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture and Environment, all mining sites have approved environmental impact assessment reports and environmental restoration plans, but the amount of environmental protection deposit is small, while the project's lifespan is usually 5-30 years, making implementation ineffective. In addition, illegal mining is a complex issue, especially in border areas. However, currently there is only a coordination mechanism between Dak Lak province and Lam Dong and Dak Nong provinces, but not at the commune level, making detection and handling of this problem difficult. Regarding clay mining for brick and tile production, because there is no complete alternative material, fired clay bricks must continue to be used. To date, the planning for the Krong Ana and Krong Pac mining sites has been integrated into the provincial plan, but it is incomplete.

Meanwhile, the Department of Construction stated that the production of building materials at traditional brick kilns, sand mining facilities, and construction stone quarrying and processing plants negatively impacts the ecological environment; the low level of mechanization has led to resource waste. In addition, the transportation of minerals by large trucks damages transportation infrastructure and causes public concern about traffic safety risks.

The provincial People's Council's thematic monitoring team conducted an on-site inspection of a stone quarry in Hoa Phong commune (Krong Bong district).

Through the provincial People's Council's oversight of law enforcement in mineral resource management and exploitation in the province in March 2025, it was also revealed that coordination between functional agencies and local authorities in managing mineral activities is not tight enough, with many shortcomings leading to illegal mining, transportation, and stockpiling of minerals, as well as mining outside the licensed areas, which are still occurring but not being detected in a timely manner. Currently, production management is mainly based on reports from mining enterprises for tax calculation, which does not accurately reflect the actual volume of mining and the assessment of reserves. This creates loopholes for enterprises to falsify production figures to evade taxes, resulting in the loss of mineral resources. In addition, the auction of 48 mineral exploitation rights areas, scheduled for 2022, has not yet been implemented, leading to difficulties in the supply of construction materials and leveling materials in the districts.

Regarding compliance by mining enterprises, some units are exceeding their permitted capacity, and are exploiting and using associated minerals (landfill soil) without authorization from the authorities. Some units are failing to submit periodic mining activity reports, not compiling data from weighing stations, or have not installed weighing stations, or have installed them merely as a formality without actually using them. During operation, some units are negatively impacting the environment, especially sand mining, which has caused erosion on both sides of the riverbanks, causing public discontent, disrupting water flow, and adversely affecting the environment. Clay mining activities are not following proper procedures and regulations, resulting in unevenly leveled fields, low-lying terrain, and flooding, rendering them unsuitable for cultivation. Furthermore, the high volume of vehicles transporting materials and minerals on the roads is causing damage, yet enterprises are not being mobilized to participate in repairs and remediation.

Minh Chi

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202505/kho-quan-ly-46017b8/