Sand for construction is piled at a site in Tien Phong ward in the northern province of Thai Binh. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - With demand for sand for construction rising even asprices are skyrocketing, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has recommendedthe use of other materials in construction in place of natural sand.
The huge demand for sand and its risingprices have seriously affected many major construction works such as the TrungLuong – My Thuan (in Tien Giang province) Highway, a section of NationalHighway No 60 in Ben Tre province and Lo Te - Rach Soi Road in Kien Giang province.
The contractors of these works said therising sand prices have caused construction costs to balloon and even thesuspension of some of them.
Speaking at a recent conference on investmentin infrastructure development in the Mekong Delta, Deputy PM Dung called on theministry to co-ordinate with provincial authorities to improve management ofsand mining in rivers, estuaries and channels in the region.
Sand exploitation must be linked with theprotection of river banks and the coast from erosion, he said.
He also instructed the ministry to cooperatewith relevant agencies and find other materials to replace natural sand intransportation infrastructure projects in the country in general and in theMekong Delta in particular.
In response to Dung’s instructions, theministry has called on provincial and city authorities and other relevantagencies to use natural sand effectively and use artificial (or crushed stone)sand to replace traditional sand for making concrete, and to use other materialsinstead of sand for ground levelling.
Iron and steel slag can be used asconstruction materials to replace traditional sand, according to the ministry.
Dr To Van Thanh, deputy director of theSouthern Institute of Water Resources Research, said most of the rivers flowingfrom other countries into Vietnam have hydro-power plants in their uppersections, which obstruct the flow of water and silt carried by these rivers.
This is reducing the volume of sand carriedto the lower sections of the rivers, causing ecological imbalances and sandshortages, he said.
Tran Van Mien, head of the constructionmaterials department at HCM City Polytechnic University, said a mixture ofcrushed stone and traditional sand in various ratios would meet constructionstandards.
The cost of crushed stone is only half ofthat of traditional sand in the market, he pointed out.
Experts have also noted the use of slag fromthermal power plants. They said in many countries around the world, slag hasbeen used for decades to produce sand.
The 19 thermal power plants in Vietnamproduce some 20 million tonnes of slag every year, but half of the volume hasnot been utilised efficiently.
In Japan and China, mud dredged from canalsis used to produce sand, and money has been invested in plants to produce mud,which is used to produce artificial sand.
The Mekong Delta has huge resources of thismud, they said.
The Southern Institute of Water ResourcesResearch’s Lab for New Materials Research has done studies into producing sandfor construction from mud dredged from rivers and canals.
Experts also said relevant agencies shouldstrengthen management of sand mining and come up with sound policies for theexploitation of natural sand.
They also called on relevant authorities toissue better policies to promote investment in production of new materials toreplace natural sand.-VNA
The huge demand for sand and its risingprices have seriously affected many major construction works such as the TrungLuong – My Thuan (in Tien Giang province) Highway, a section of NationalHighway No 60 in Ben Tre province and Lo Te - Rach Soi Road in Kien Giang province.
The contractors of these works said therising sand prices have caused construction costs to balloon and even thesuspension of some of them.
Speaking at a recent conference on investmentin infrastructure development in the Mekong Delta, Deputy PM Dung called on theministry to co-ordinate with provincial authorities to improve management ofsand mining in rivers, estuaries and channels in the region.
Sand exploitation must be linked with theprotection of river banks and the coast from erosion, he said.
He also instructed the ministry to cooperatewith relevant agencies and find other materials to replace natural sand intransportation infrastructure projects in the country in general and in theMekong Delta in particular.
In response to Dung’s instructions, theministry has called on provincial and city authorities and other relevantagencies to use natural sand effectively and use artificial (or crushed stone)sand to replace traditional sand for making concrete, and to use other materialsinstead of sand for ground levelling.
Iron and steel slag can be used asconstruction materials to replace traditional sand, according to the ministry.
Dr To Van Thanh, deputy director of theSouthern Institute of Water Resources Research, said most of the rivers flowingfrom other countries into Vietnam have hydro-power plants in their uppersections, which obstruct the flow of water and silt carried by these rivers.
This is reducing the volume of sand carriedto the lower sections of the rivers, causing ecological imbalances and sandshortages, he said.
Tran Van Mien, head of the constructionmaterials department at HCM City Polytechnic University, said a mixture ofcrushed stone and traditional sand in various ratios would meet constructionstandards.
The cost of crushed stone is only half ofthat of traditional sand in the market, he pointed out.
Experts have also noted the use of slag fromthermal power plants. They said in many countries around the world, slag hasbeen used for decades to produce sand.
The 19 thermal power plants in Vietnamproduce some 20 million tonnes of slag every year, but half of the volume hasnot been utilised efficiently.
In Japan and China, mud dredged from canalsis used to produce sand, and money has been invested in plants to produce mud,which is used to produce artificial sand.
The Mekong Delta has huge resources of thismud, they said.
The Southern Institute of Water ResourcesResearch’s Lab for New Materials Research has done studies into producing sandfor construction from mud dredged from rivers and canals.
Experts also said relevant agencies shouldstrengthen management of sand mining and come up with sound policies for theexploitation of natural sand.
They also called on relevant authorities toissue better policies to promote investment in production of new materials toreplace natural sand.-VNA
VNA
