People in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau long for clean water

(Construction) – Although the clean water supply project for Quan Lan and Minh Chau islands (Van Don district) has been implemented for many years, up to now hundreds of households in these two island communes still do not have clean water to use.

With charming wild natural landscapes and beautiful beaches, the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau attract hundreds of thousands of tourists each summer, leading to a need for clean water for living and business. Great service. But for many years now, hundreds of households on the island are still living in a “thirsty” situation of clean water.

Located about 40km from the center of Van Don district, the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau have attracted many tourists in recent years due to their charming wild natural landscapes and many beautiful beaches. These are two island communes located on Bai Tu Long Bay, adjacent to the east of Ha Long Bay; In February 2022, the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province issued Decision No. 339, approving the adjustment of the 1/2,000 scale construction zoning plan of Minh Chau – Quan Lan island area of ​​more than 4,000 hectares, Van Don Economic Zone, in It clearly states that the planning area will be adjusted as a high-class cultural and island ecological tourism area and a high-quality urban residential area with a population and labor force of about 43,000 people by 2030. .

Despite being in a place with strong natural landscapes to develop tourism and improve living standards, for many years people in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau still have not had clean water for living, doing business, greatly affects the quality of life. Daily water sources are still mainly rainwater and unhygienic drilled well water. People have to buy clean water for cooking and tourism services at a high price of 100,000 VND/m3. Especially in the summer every year when there are many tourists coming to the island, the need for domestic water is even greater.

The clean water supply plant in Nam Hai village (Minh Chau commune, Van Don district) will be basically completed from 2022 but until April 2024 it still cannot be completed and operated because the investor has not been handed over the land due to entangled in legal procedures.

To solve the shortage of domestic water on the two islands mentioned above, since 2014 Van Don district has invested 109 billion VND to build and renovate Long Dinh reservoir, design capacity of about 1 million m3, completed in 2014. 2017.

Along with that, the project of water plant and clean water distribution system to serve people and tourists in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau of Van Don district has been approved by the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province for investment policy. investment, and at the same time approved the investor as Tham Gia Investment Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company in Decision No. 2190/QD-UBND dated June 8, 2017; The Management Board of Quang Ninh Economic Zone issued an Investment Registration Certificate on June 12, 2017, approving the total construction area planning at a scale of 1/500 in Decision No. 03/QD-BQLKKT dated June 6, 2017. January 2020.

The project has a total area of ​​28,427.4m2 in Nam Hai village (Minh Chau commune), including the following items: Water supply plant, area of ​​3,500m2; Water supply pipelines are located in Minh Chau and Quan Lan communes; capacity 4,000m3/day and night;

By 2022, the project investor is Tham Gia Tourism and Trading Construction Investment Joint Stock Company (Sham Gia Company) which has invested more than 50 billion VND, basically completing the construction of the water treatment plant. Clean water from Long Dinh lake and water pipeline system to households in Minh Chau and Quan Lan communes. But up to now, the factory has not been able to complete or operate because the land has not been handed over due to legal procedures.

The reason is that the water treatment plant from Long Dinh lake – Tham Gia Company is the investor approved by the local government and is located on the land of Van Hai sand mine under the management and exploitation of the Joint Stock Company. Viglacera Van Hai part.

Because the approval of the water treatment plant project overlapping the land of another unit has not been recovered, the arrangement and handover of the plant construction site is 3 years behind schedule. To overcome difficulties for the project, the local government temporarily handed over unrecovered land to Tham Gia Company to construct a water treatment plant while waiting for the completion of procedures for closing the mine (sand mining). land recovery from Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company.

The project has also been approved by the Van Don Economic Zone Management Board to adjust the project’s 1/500 scale detailed construction planning in Decision No. 93/QDBQKKTVD dated July 12, 2022; The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province approved the investment policy adjustment in Decision No. 307/QD-UBND dated February 8, 2023.

People in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau have to use unsanitary drilled well water for washing, and have to buy clean water at a price of 100,000 VND/m3 for eating, drinking, and bathing (photo: QMG).

The main problem of the project is related to land allocation procedures at the water supply plant area (about 5,300m2) because it is located within the boundary where Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company is allowed to lease land for sand exploitation. However, the land lease term of the sand mining project has expired (from January 2022), and the mine closure project has been approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment according to Decision No. 34/QDBTNMT dated January 7. /2022, but because the royalty price for white sand exploited at the mine has not yet been determined, Viglacera Van Hai Company cannot fulfill its financial obligations and hand over the land area leased by the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh Province. to exploit sand in Minh Chau commune and Quan Lan commune according to regulations.

To solve the above problems, the People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province has assigned specific responsibilities to departments, branches and localities (in Decision approving investment policy adjustments No. 307/QD-UBND dated February 8, 2023). , in which: Assign the Department of Finance to closely follow the Ministry of Finance to soon receive instructions on building a price list for calculating natural resources tax for white sand resources exploited by Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company at Van Hai mine, Minh Chau commune and Quan Lan commune, Van Don district, as a basis for Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company to fulfill its financial obligations and hand over the land lease area that is no longer needed for sand exploitation at the mine in Minh Chau and Quan Lan communes; assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to study and consider separating part of the boundary of the sand mine project of Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company to assign Tham Gia Company to implement the project.

Information from the leaders of Viglacera Van Hai Joint Stock Company said: In 2021, the Company has completely restored the sand mining area, completed all documents and procedures for closing the sand mine in Minh Chau commune. and Quan Lan; Departments, branches, and the General Department of Minerals have checked and have full minutes. However, according to Viglacera Van Hai Company, the problem here is that the fee for granting exploitation rights (resources tax) has a difference between Quang Ninh province and the Ministry of Finance, because state management agencies have not agreed on the fee. granted exploitation rights, so the Company has not been able to fulfill its financial obligations and cannot hand over the land.

To remove difficulties for the clean water supply project in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau, in mid-2023, the People’s Committee of Van Don district held a meeting with the presence of relevant parties. At the meeting, representatives of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Van Don Economic Zone Management Board, Van Don District People’s Committee and other units agreed to request Van Don District People’s Committee to directly coordinate with relevant departments to report The People’s Committee of Quang Ninh province directed the issuance of a temporary unit price to collect fees for water exploitation rights so that Tham Gia Company can put the water supply system into operation even though land has not yet been allocated to carry out the project to supply to the people and people. tourists in Minh Chau and Quan Lan communes.

However, up to now, difficulties have been solved for the Water Plant project and clean water distribution system to serve people and tourists in the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau of Van Don district, Quang province. Ninh has not been resolved yet. For the past 6 years, the people of these two island communes have continuously petitioned to be provided with clean water for daily life and economic development. Not only do people expect to be provided with clean water for use, project investors also expect the local government to remove difficulties and soon hand over land to be able to complete the project and operate clean water supply, because The long delay puts investors at a disadvantage because they are not entitled to the government’s policies to support clean water projects in island communes and are also not allowed to borrow bank loans due to legal problems in the project.

The people of the two island communes of Quan Lan and Minh Chau hope that the clean water supply project will soon be completed and put into use to serve people’s lives as well as tourism activities on the island, contributing to improving the quality of people’s lives and local socio-economic development, as set out by the goal of “Improving people’s quality of life” of Quang Ninh province.