Progress on mineral resource maps plods: officials

September 16, 2017 - 09:00

Only five of 35 planned mineral resources maps have been completed, making it challenging for the government to reach its 2020 deadline for completing the map projects, officials said yesterday.

The meeting focused on evaluating the progress made on mineral mapping. - Photo: qdnd.vn
Viet Nam News

HÀ NỘI – Only five of 35 planned mineral resources maps have been completed, making it challenging for the government to reach its 2020 deadline for completing the map projects, officials said yesterday.

The Central Economic Commission (CEC) and Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) discussed the progress on the maps yesterday at a meeting titled “Evaluation of five-year- implementation of guidelines, policies and legislation on minerals”.

The mapping of mineral resources over a total area of 62,380sq.km, divided into 35 projects, is supposed to be complete by 2020. Fourteen projects over an area of 14,500sq.km area were begun in 2016 and are still underway, while seven others accounting for 18,124sq.km are behind the schedule.   

If the continuing projects are completed on schedule, by 2020, 80 per cent of Việt Nam’s land will be presented on mineral resources maps.

Moreover, the geological and mineral surveys of the coastal area up to 30m of water depth are almost completed.

Only two surveys of coastal areas are being conducted. The surveyed areas are the coasts between Hải Phòng City and Thanh Hóa Province’s Nga Sơn District, and between Nga Sơn District and Nghệ An Province’s Diễn Châu District.

In addition, 3,000 individuals and organisations are being allowed to explore and mine minerals, according to the MoNRE’s data.

Speaking at the meeting, Cao Đức Phát, deputy head of CEC, said that after five years of guidelines, policies and legislation on minerals, the status quo has several major disadvantages. To effectively manage the mineral resources, it is important to adjust some provisions in the mineral law to align with common world practice.

Representatives of related agencies also need to initiate solutions to effectively manage, protect, and explore minerals for the sustainable development of Việt Nam, he said. – VNS

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