Barges carrying sand on the Hau River.

The rush was triggered by the Cambodian government’s ban on sand exports on environmental and domestic supply concerns.

Since early 2008, the Vietnamese government has allowed boats carrying sand from Cambodia to anchor at the Hau River that flows through Can Tho City in the Mekong Delta.

The river stretch had become a major trading post for sand with boats from Singapore, Malaysia or Indonesia collecting the

Cambodian sand after docking at the Can Tho and Cai Cui ports in the city.

However, since the Cambodian government banned sand exports last month, Can Tho City authorities said the Hau River has been overwhelmed with an increasing number of barges flocking to exploit or carry sand from the river.

Immediately following the ban, hundreds of local barges have been working at full-blast on the Can Tho stretch of the Hau River to dredge sand, and at least another 300 deployed to carry it to foreign boats from Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia, said lieutenant-colonel Vu Duc Hung, a waterway police official in Can Tho City.

The crowding of barges will affect river traffic and unchecked dredging will change its flow, Hung said. This would in turn cause riverbanks and houses to collapse, he added.

The loss of sand to illegal exploitation would also reduce its reserves, he said.

A recent inspection by the Can Tho police found a majority of barge owners had no sand-dredging licenses, according to Hung.

However, despite being fined, many have continued to carry out the illegal exploitation because of the high profit involved, he added.

VietNamNet/TN