On March 12th, a working delegation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, led by Minister Dang Quoc Khanh, had a working session with Dak Nong province regarding state management in the field of resources and environment.
Minister Dang Quoc Khanh leading the working delegation meeting with Dak Nong province.
Here, Mr. Ngo Thanh Danh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee of Dak Nong, said that the locality is actively preparing for the 20th anniversary of the re-establishment of the province. Dak Nong is very rich in mineral potential, especially bauxite.
According to the planning documents, bauxite in Dak Nong province is very unique, distributed in 5 districts, 1 city, and accounting for about 1/3 of the total area of the province. So far, only 1/9 of the mines have been explored and approved for exploitation. If it only supplies one factory, it will take nearly 400 years to exploit and process all the bauxite resources in Dak Nong province.
To exploit and deplete the bauxite resources efficiently, Mr. Ngo Thanh Danh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, stated that there needs to be a long-term roadmap that could span tens or hundreds of years. Recently, Dak Nong has encountered many difficulties related to bauxite mining, mineral processing, and the implementation of projects and constructions due to bauxite planning issues. Therefore, Mr. Ngo Thanh Danh recommended that the central government continue to pay attention and remove obstacles for the province.
Mr. Le Trong Yen, Vice Chairman of Dak Nong Provincial People’s Committee, specified the obstacles that infrastructural and technical traffic projects, as well as resettlement projects, are facing in the bauxite planning area. According to regulations, these projects for national and public interests in mineral areas must be implemented in compliance with the provisions of the Mineral Law, Planning Law, and related laws.
However, most of the infrastructural and technical traffic projects and resettlement projects, located in the bauxite exploration and exploitation planning area, have had to be temporarily suspended due to difficulties in reclaiming and protecting bauxite within the project area.
Mr. Le Trong Yen, Vice Chairman of Dak Nong Provincial People’s Committee, mentioned difficulties arising from bauxite planning
According to the review results in the province, there are 425 public investment projects encountering difficulties related to bauxite. Among them, there are 37 mid-term investment projects in the period of 2021-2025 for a total investment capital of over VND 3,300 billion, which require timely policies to resolve the problems, ensuring the progress of capital disbursement, and solving the serious degradation of transportation and achieving the economic and social development goals of the locality.
At the working session, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh acknowledged the achievements of Dak Nong province in the past period. Regarding the recommendations of the province regarding the difficulties and obstacles in bauxite mining and processing, Minister Dang Quoc Khanh stated that for issues under the jurisdiction of the Ministry, specialized units would be assigned to collaborate with the province to find solutions as soon as possible; for issues beyond the jurisdiction, the Ministry would take note and make recommendations to higher authorities.
“The urgent matter now is the land clearance and closure of the mined bauxite sites. Dak Nong province really needs to resolve this issue soon. I have assigned two specialized units under the Ministry to collaborate with the province to survey the reality, research the current regulations, and find solutions as soon as possible,” Minister Dang Quoc Khanh said.
