Nguyen Tan Tuan, deputy secretary of the Khanh Hoa provincial Standing Party Committee, on August 13 confirmed that the committee told the provincial people’s committee to reject the proposal on finding a local area for submerging dredged material, submitted by the local science and technology department.

Tuan said the project is unfeasible as the province doesn’t allow submerging of materials into the local sea.

“We don’t allow submerging any kind of material, including dredged material, into the local waters, in all cases. I know other provinces allow this, but Khanh Hoa does not,” he said. “I am sure that in the future, no institution and individual will implement the project in Khanh Hoa. ”

Huynh Ky Hanh, director of the Khanh Hoa Science and Technology Department, confirmed with the press that the provincial authorities rejected the project.

In early 2019, MONRE allowed Hoa Phat Group to dump 15.4 million cubic meters of material which was from the dredging during the construction of Hoa Phat Port, into the Dung Quat Economic Zone waters.

Vo Tan Tai, director of the Khanh Hoa Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, also said the department once received documents about the project on material submerging, the turning basin and the water area in front of the Ba Ngoi petroleum habor in Cam Ranh City, submitted by the Petroleum Company Zone 3.

“The material submerging will not only affect the sea environment, but many other things, including air quality, tourism and investment,” he said.

Quang Ngai provincial authorities are flexible when granting licenses to investors to submerge material in their localities.

In 2017, Quang Ngai allowed the Vietnam Maritime Safety Corporation to sink 62,000 cubic meters of material in the waters belonging to Tinh Khe commune of Quang Ngai City.

The material was from the dredging of the Sa Ky navigation passage. The sea area for submergence was 5 hectares with the depth up to 24 meters.

Do Minh Hai, director of the Quang Ngai Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, said the provincial authorities made such a decision because the material was mostly mud and sand with few impurities, while the area for submergence was the deep-water sea area.

“The submerging has been completed and it has no bad impact on the environment,” he said.

In early 2019, MONRE allowed Hoa Phat Group to dump 15.4 million cubic meters of material which was from the dredging during the construction of Hoa Phat Port, into the Dung Quat Economic Zone waters.

The ministry reassured the public that the area for submergence has little flora and fauna. People can supervise the process through a camera connected to vessels carrying the material. 

Thien Nhien

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