Cambodia bans sand export for environmental protection

PHNOM PENH, May 8 (Xinhua) -- The Cambodian government issued a directive signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen here on Friday to ban sand export for the sake of environmental protection.

"In order to protect the balance of nature and environment in areas of sea and fresh water, the government has decided to allow sand business to meet domestic demand only," said the directive.

After examination by experts, sand dredging is only allowed in places where the balance of nature can be restored or water flow is obstructed, it said.

Meanwhile, the directive "terminates any sand export to foreign countries," too.

The Committee of Sand Management has to check sand trade immediately, and report all the involved institutions to the premier, it added.

According to local reports, Cambodia used to export 40,000 to 50,000 tons of sand per month from its coastal province of Koh Kong, and the annual value of this business stood at 35 million U.S. dollars.

Vietnam and Singapore were the major destination countries.

While sand business boomed, sand dredging frequently caused riverbanks and houses to collapse along the Mekong River and the Tonle Bassac River.

Tonle Sap: Samaky villagers to be relocated … but they must take an oath not to come back

11 April 2008
By Ung Chansophea and Kang Kallyan
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr

At the end of a lottery organized for the distribution of land plots, the beneficiaries were asked not to sell their land immediately.

In the morning of Friday 11 April, a lottery was held for the distribution of land plots promised to the 39 families from the Samaky village who were victims of the riverbank collapse along the Tonle Sap River. For this occasion, Man Chhoeun, the deputy-governor of the city of Phnom Penh, traveled there, and the event took place under a good ambience.

“We are satisfied with this aid which comes right on time, just when we lost everything,” said Sim Sorn who just received the No. 26 land plot. “I am satisfied to own a house now, complete with the land title,” said Sorn’s neighbor who was standing next to a blue tent shelter, located in a school where the families of the victims are currently relocated temporarily. Currently, none of the villagers have yet visited the land plots promised to be granted to them located in Tuol Sambo.

During the lottery, Kim Ratana, the deputy director of the Catholic NGO Caritas, took the opportunity to make some announcements in order to reassure the families about their future. To start with, Caritas promised to provide foods and clothes for the families for one month. Next, Caritas also promised to build one house for each family, as well as water wells. Finally, about 50 children will also receive education material. Later on, Caritas will provide loans to those who want to start their small businesses “because Caritas is aware that this new life in another village will have an impact on the villagers daily life,” Kim Ratana said. “The majority of the villagers work in construction,” said Ouch Tum, a fish seller.

At the conclusion of the lottery, Man Chhoeun warned the beneficiaries by telling them “not to sell their house (immediately) to return back to the same place they lived before.” To add weight to his warning, he asked the 39 families to take an oath at the end of the meeting.

Regarding the landslide, while some still continue to believe that it was from natural causes, others are convinced that it was caused by the nearby sand dredging operations made by private boats. “There were no such incident in the past, but since they started dredging sand, the number of collapses increases,” one villager said.

Housing construction prohibited along the riverbank collapse

Friday, April 04, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

Following the accidental riverbank collapse which pulled down 39 houses into the river, in the afternoon of 01 April, at Samaky village, Russei Keo commune, the city of Phnom Penh installed large public signs prohibiting people to live in this area because it considers it as a danger zone. The Kampuchea Thmei newspaper reported that after the accident, Kep Chuktema, the city governor, announced that the city will buy a piece of land in Dangkoa district to distribute to the people who lived by the riverbank collapse as an exchange, and also to avoid future accident. Khleang Huot, the Russei Keo district governor, also asked people who built homes along the riverbanks that are prone to collapse to dismantle their homes and avoid these danger zones.

Lim Kean Hor: Riverbank collapse was not due to sand dredging

Thursday, April 3, 2008
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Click here to see John Vink's photo of sand dredging
250m downstream of the collapsed riverbank...
---Thanks John!---

On Wednesday, Lim Kean Hor, the minister of water resources and meteorology, said that the riverbank collapse at the Samaky village, Russei Keo commune, in the afternoon of Tuesday was due to the construction of houses on top of trash, and that it was not due to commercial sand dredging. Lim Kean Hor told reporters that the riverbank collapse which took down several houses into the river was due to housing constructions that do not follow the technical standard, i.e. these houses were built on lands which contain trash underneath and sand was dumped on top of it to expand the area for housing constructions. Ground instability, along with the heavy weight of rice and merchandises stocked in these houses, caused the riverbank slide and brought down the houses into the river. He said that this was not due commercial sand dredging along the river bottom. Earlier, the villagers suspect the riverbank collapse was due to sand dredging just like previous other riverbank collapses. However, the authority and experts rejected the villagers’ suspicion.

Hun Sen agrees to sand dredging restart

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prime minister Hun Sen agreed to the restart of the sand dredging operation in a number of study areas found not to affect the collapse of riverbanks. On 06 December, Hun Sen ordered a temporary stop to all dredging operations, after a major riverbank collapse in the evening of 05 December. The authorization of the restart of the sand dredging in some areas came after the committee for sand management issued a report to Hun Sen on 14 December, showing that it has found a number of regions where the dredging operation can take place without affecting the riverbanks.

Hun Sen issues order to end sand pumping and dredging

07 December 2007
By Sary Roth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Prime minister Hun Sen issued an order to end the pumping and dredging of sand from the bottom of the Mekong River, following a riverbank collapse yesterday in Koh Norea village, Niroth commune, Meanchey district, Phnom Penh city.

Hun Sen issued his order in a declaration that was broadcasted by local news media, yesterday evening.

The order not only put an end to the pumping in the Mekong River which caused the riverbank collapse, but this order is also applicable to the entire country as well.

During yesterday’s riverbank collapse, about 200 villagers started to panic, and they immediately started to dismantle their homes in the middle of the night.