Equality before the law

The bauxite saga seemed to come to an end when all concerns about the environmental impacts of bauxite mining in the ecologically sensitive Central Highlands cooled down last year.

The issue, however, has recently stolen the limelight again. This time, it is not about the environment, but how the roads used to transport alumina from the bauxite extracting and processing site in Tan Rai, Lam Dong Province to a port in neighboring Dong Nai Province can endure heavy-duty trucks round the clock.

The provinces through which the 210km transport route from Lam Dong’s Tan Rai bauxite and alumina complex, one of the two such projects in the Central Highlands, to Dong Nai’s Go Dau Port passes have raised concerns over the undesirable impact on their roads that are already in poor condition.

The original plan is to build a port near the Ke Ga Cape in Binh Thuan Province where alumina is exported to shorten the transport route by one third, but the first phase of the port won’t be ready until 2014.

Using the Tan Rai-Go Dau route, 40-ton trucks will travel through a number of roads that currently have heavy vehicular traffic, especially National Highway 20, Provincial Road 769, and National Highway 51.

Duong Van Hoa, deputy general director of Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin), aka TKV, is quoted by Tuoi Tre newspaper as saying there would be one truck leaving the Tan Rai production site for Go Dau Port every 10 minutes.

This means each day sees more than 100 trucks plying the roads that are mostly designed for 25-ton cargo-loaded trucks. Nguyen Thanh Liem, head of aluminum and titanium at TKV, told a meeting on Wednesday this week with Dong Nai Province, which will bear the bulk of traffic, that the weight of the truck alone is 15 tons and the tentative alumina load is 25 tons, taking the total to 40 tons.

As the Tan Rai facility with annual designed alumina output of 650,000 tons comes into commercial production, the large trucks will undeniably contribute to the swift deterioration of the already-overcrowded roads, which will in turn make it more dangerous for other road users, especially motorcyclists.

The roads inside Dong Nai’s territory were originally built for around 7,000 vehicle crossings a day but the current average number is more than double, at 15,000, according to Sai Gon Tiep Thi newspaper. So imagine a time when the heavily loaded trucks join the shuttle in full swing.

Dong Nai Province has cast doubt on TKV’s preparations for alumina transportation and even threatened to fine all overloaded trucks traveling through the southern province. The suspicion is not groundless. “Has TKV surveyed all the roads and bridges in Dong Nai which will be used by the alumina-transporting trucks? Are they all safe?” Tran Van Vinh, vice chairman of the province, asked Duong Van Hoa of TKV at Wednesday’s meeting. Hoa’s reply is “Not 100% sure. Some bridges are good enough and others are not. The survey was done several years ago but the reality is different now, so it cannot be relied on as a basis.”

Despite the enormity of the matter, TKV has yet to inform the province of the alumina transport plan. Duong Danh Quy, office manager of the Dong Nai Province Traffic Safety Committee, criticizes the company over lack of transparency and coordination. “TKV will transport alumina through National Highway 20 and Provincial Road 769 in Dong Nai but we haven’t known how many trucks will use the roads a day,” Quy said, noting TKV should have joined forces with the province to carry out the survey, instead of choosing to cut corners.

The province has upgraded the La Nga Bridge on National Highway 20 to allow vehicles weighing 25 tons to cross but it is still not as good as expected. And the province has repeatedly proposed upgrading this deteriorating highway that remains narrow and full of potholes but no approval has been in sight.

The original design of the highway was 6,000 vehicles a day but now the actual figure is a staggering 24,500, leaving no room for more traffic, show statistics from Dong Nai’s traffic police.

The 33km Provincial Road 769 is not in good condition either, with its last repair done over 10 years ago. There is only one bridge on this road but its capacity is just 30 tons. So the possibility of the bridge collapse will be high if 40-ton trucks dash through it.

National Highway 51 that is under repair and expansion is quite unsuitable for heavy trucks too since it is designed for vehicles of 30 tons or less.

TKV insists it has drawn up a transport plan but what it truly is remains unclear. Dong Nai Province has shown little sign of striking a compromise. The transport infrastructure is not yet good enough, so TKV should suspend alumina transportation until it has shown a well-crafted transport scheme plus contingency plans, said Tran Van Vinh of Dong Nai.

He warned the traffic police will stop all TKV trucks with loads higher than permitted on the province’s roads. “If we don’t do it, how can we handle overloaded trucks of the others? All are equal before the law.” – SGT

Tags: Vietnam bauxite, Vietnam Bauxite mining projects