Over 40 Hanoi houses in river collapse risk due to sand mining

For several months now, the people of Bai and Van Hoi villages have been patrolling the riverine embankments to chase away vessels that attempt to extract sand to protect the embankment from further damage.

Ngo Van Lich, who lives in Bai Village, said he has never seen the riverbed so severely eroded. A few years before the government built embankments in the area, water levels in the river were roughly the same as the banks. Now, they are 15 m away from the bank.

Earlier this year, Lich’s house, located about 20 m away from the river bank, saw cracks as long as 7 cm. His family was then forced to move to an inner part of the house.

"I’m already tired after coming back from work, and then at night I hear the sound of sand extractors and vessels. I cannot sleep," he said.

Ngo Van Lich's house has a large crack on the walls. Photo by VnExpress/Vo Hai

About 200 m away from Lich’s house, a building that was just built late last year, located 40 m away from the bank, is also suffering cracks that run from the walls all the way to the sidewalk. The house belongs to 70-year-old Ngo Van Luong.

The new house was supposed to be for Luong’s children, while Luong and his wife still live in their old house. The house he lives in has weak foundations, so whenever vessels come in and out of the port and collide with the banks, the entire house shakes, worrying the old couple that it could collapse at any moment.

Nguyen Huy Hoang, chairman of Phong Van Commune, said sand extraction had affected the riverbed and altered the water flow, causing cracks on the embankments and people’s houses. The number of houses with cracks has been rising quickly and is now at 42, mostly in Bai Village.

Hoang said Hanoi does not allow mineral extraction in the area, but Phu Tho does allow sand mining in their own area, which is adjacent to Phong Van Commune. On average, hundreds of vessels operate every day, turning people’s lives upside down.

"If the extraction continues, Van Hoi Village would no longer exist," Hoang said.

Sand mining vessels can be seen at the Bai Village area in Hanoi, May 14, 2024. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Phong

Do Manh Hung, chairman of Ba Vi District, said that sand mining on the Da and the Red rivers have been happening publicly and at high frequency. However, the district has not received documents to approve these mining activities for the purposes of management and monitoring.

In order to protect people’s homes, Ba Vi District has proposed that Hanoi authorities request Phu Tho People’s Committee to suspend sand mining on the Da and the Red rivers in the area adjacent to Ba Vi District.

Ba Vi has also requested for an evaluation of sand mining on the water flow and erosion at the Red River section in its area.