Even a quarry collapse in Giac Hamlet of Thu Cuc Commune of Tan Son District which killed two workers did not stop the exploiters. They continued their work in many districts of Phu Tho province, while damaging roads, polluting the environment and threatening the locals’ lives.

The people of Phuc Khanh Commune of Yen Lap District are now living in houses covered with stone dust, cracked by large “flying” rocks. The houses shake every time workers at the stone exploitation site spring mines.

Hoang Ngoc Cham, a man in Dinh Hamlet, complained that a stone broke windows in his house located 700 meters from the quarry.

Most recently, Cham said, while setting off a mine during the stone exploitation, an 8 kilo stone flew into Ha Thi Minh’s house. The event was witnessed by many locals in the hamlet and the policemen, who later had a working meeting with Trung Anh Company, the exploiter.

There are about 20 households in the area between the two quarries being exploited by Thang Loi and Trung Anh Companies. They have been living in a seriously polluted environment, with terrible noise and regular smoke and dust.

“We usually sustain the “hail attacks” when heavy stones from the quarries hit windows, roofs and damage plants in the gardens, and threaten our lives,” said Du Quoc Tai, a resident.

When asked why locals did not lodge complaints with the local authorities and ask for help, Tai said that they had done this many times. However, nothing has changed. The exploiters still continue their works of exploiting stones and springing mines, while people continue living in the fear that the stones may hurt their houses and kill them one day.

Reports from competent agencies show that there are 24 quarries in Phu Tho now under exploitation. Most of the quarries are in the districts of Yen Lap and Thanh Son.

According to Nguyen Truong Son, chair of Yen Lap District, the uncontrolled stone exploitation has not only seriously polluted the environment, but also damaged infrastructure works.

In Yen Lap alone, there are 14 quarries, of which six are operational. Four have halted operation and the remaining four still cannot meet the requirements to start exploitation.

Hoang Nhu Lo, a senior official with the Phu Tho provincial Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, admitted that due to mismanagement, the stone exploitation activities have been difficult to control.

As the miners do not strictly follow appropriate exploitation procedures, they have caused serious landslides and pollution.

Lo also noted that the locality is unable to reap benefits from the exploitation, but its people still have to pay a heavy price for it. A large land area, for example, cannot be used for agricultural production, and dozens of kilometers of roads have been damaged.