Vietnam seeks temporary ban on sand exports

Straits Times 18 Sep 09;

HO CHI MINH CITY: Vietnam's Construction Ministry has asked Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to temporarily ban sand exports from November - a move that will affect Singapore, Vietnam's biggest customer.

The ministry said the move is to ensure domestic supply and protect the environment from unrestrained production.

'We should halt sand exports until all provinces can provide specific information on reserves, exploitation capacity and plans to meet demand,' Mr Le Van Toi, head of the ministry's Department for Construction Materials, said on Wednesday. He estimated that it might take several months for local governments to submit these reports.

Vietnam shipped nearly nine million cubic m of sand in the first eight months of the year from 1.3 million cubic m last year, Mr Toi said, citing figures from the Can Tho Customs Department, which handles most of Vietnam's sand exports.

Singapore is Vietnam's biggest buyer so far this year.

In May, Cambodia abruptly banned sand exports, citing the detrimental effect of sand dredging on its rivers and marine areas. The move mirrored Indonesia's 2007 overnight ban on sand exports, which caused a 'sand crisis' in Singapore given its heavy reliance on sand for construction and land reclamation.

Singapore's building industry has been working since to diversify its sand supplies. It has also relaxed rules to allow quarry dust to be used as a sand substitute.

Vietnam's sand exports surged from May as demand increased following Cambodia's ban on sand shipments.

Unplanned dredging can cause landslides and riverbank collapses along the Mekong River in Vietnam's southern region, which provides the bulk of sand for export, Mr Toi said.

Vietnam expects domestic demand to reach as much as 100 million cubic m next year, 140 million cubic m by 2015 and 197 million cubic m by 2020, he said, citing ministry forecasts. Vietnam used 86 million cubic m of sand last year, according the ministry's data.

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