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Central Highlands will ‘die’ of bauxite exploitation
The programme by the Vietnam Coal and Minerals Industries Group (Vinacomin) on exploiting bauxite ore, making alumina and refining aluminium in the Central Highlands has been facing sharp criticism from scientists and environmentalists.
Strategic mistake
Vinacomin plans to kick off a project on exploiting a rich mine with the estimated reserve of 3.4bil tonnes, which it believes will help strengthen the Central Highlands economically.
However, Dr Nguyen Thanh Son, Director of the Song Hong Power Company under Vinacomin, believes that this is a strategic mistake of Vinacomin, saying that there are inherent risks.
Son said the programme on exploiting bauxite ore approved by the Prime Minister is ‘too ambitious’. Aluminium is not considered a ‘previous metal’ in any country in the world; therefore, the countries do not try to exploit the ore at any cost.
He went on to say that Vinacomin’s project to exploit ore and make alumina for export will not bring high economic efficiency. It will only serve foreign aluminium producers who do not want to spend a lot of money on exploitation.
Meanwhile, the domestic aluminium industry is not really big, and Vietnam still does not have necessary conditions, especially power, to build factories for the export of aluminium. It is clear that the exploitation programme will require a huge sum of capital and high technologies which will force Vietnam to rely on foreign capital and technologies. Moreover, possible impacts on the environment have not been thoroughly assessed.
Son has suggested establishing a national committee on the sustainable development of the Central Highlands, and organising debates on the possible impacts of bauxite exploitation on the national economy, culture, society and the environment.
Devastating the environment
Exploiting bauxite ore to make alumina is a process that consumes a huge volume of electricity and water, and creates a massive volume of gas, heightening the greenhouse effect and threatening the environment with formidable devastation.
“The water sources in the Central Highlands have been decreasing in the last few years. If water sources are mobilised for bauxite exploitation, the Central Highlands with surely die of thirst,” said Dr Dao Cong Tien, former Headmaster of the HCM City Economics University.
In order to make one tonne of aluminium, two tonnes of alumina is needed, which means 4 tonnes of bauxite ore needs to be mined. During the process, 3 tonnes of red mud is created, a very dangerous waste which may be radioactive. Even countries which have modern technologies in the world like the US and Japan have not found a better disposal method than dumping.
As such, Vinacomin will have to dump the red mud right in the Central Highlands, which, located on the upper reaches of big rivers, will become a mountain throwing ‘dirty bombs’ in natural calamities. If so, not only the provinces in the Central Highlands, but the residents of the central region and the south will also suffer.
Where will local residents and traditional culture go?
Dr Tuyet Nhung Buon Krong, a native of the Central Highlands, has released a social survey conducted by the Central Highlands University on the area where Vinacomin is setting up the factory in Nhan Co commune.
“Vinacomin said that bauxite exploitation areas are places where forests do not develop and plants cannot grow. In fact, the area has been developing very well, and the life of local residents is very good with coffee plants,” she said.
Nhung said that the project in Nhan Co commune threatens the traditional culture atmosphere of the local residents. If bons (the village of M’Nong people) no longer exist, the culture of M’Nong people will be eliminated
Nhung has warned that this would lead to a lot of cultural and social consequences, and security and political problems. People will not have jobs, because minority people do not have necessary knowledge to be trained into workers who can work in factories.
“Where will the local residents go? What will the Central Highlands’ culture like?” Nhung questioned.
Nguyen Ngoc, a writer who has become famous for works on the Central Highlands, recalled the big emigration to the Central Highlands after the country’s liberalisation in 1975, which he called a big mistake.
“We are making a decision on a very important issue, while we don’t care for the lessons of emigration and don’t see the bitterness of the lesson in the last 30 years.”
VNN
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