Sand dredgers are illegally extracting sand.
By Hu Zhiwei and Cheng Haonan, with photos
At noon on August 1st, near the Sun Island on the Yongjiang River, a sand dredger was frequently dropping its bucket in the navigable river section. In broad daylight, it was stealing river sand. After being filled with river sand, the vessel sailed downstream, and another sand dredger moved to the original position to continue digging. Some villagers expressed dissatisfaction with this illegal sand extraction behavior, worrying that if it continues like this, it will bring greater safety hazards.
After learning about this situation, an official from the Nanning Water Conservancy Bureau believed that the sand dredger was deliberately breaking the rules, and lamented the rampant theft of sand.
Scene Witness:
The sand dredger steals river sand during the day.
Around noon at 12:00, on the Yongjiang River surface by the Lezhou Village side of Shibudao Street Office, a sand dredger emitted a loud machine noise as the bucket on the ship sank into the river water. In less than half a minute, the bucket filled with river sand was pulled back into the ship's hold. At the bow, two men sat under a sun umbrella, operating the machinery to unload the river sand. From afar, the pile of river sand on this sand dredger had already formed a small hill.
Twenty minutes later, the two men retracted the bucket, started the motor, and the vessel sailed downstream. Meanwhile, another sand dredger came from downstream and took over the position of this ship.
The newly arrived sand dredger followed closely, frequently using the bucket to extract sand. It seemed that there wasn't much sand left in the original spot; after just a few scoops, the vessel moved forward more than ten meters, changed positions, and continued working.
Amid the constant flow of vessels on the river surface, these two sand dredgers appeared fearless. Some normally passing cargo ships were forced to avoid them.
Villager Accounts:
Part of the Sun Island embankment has collapsed.
The location where the two sand dredgers stole river sand is only dozens of meters away from Sun Island. The northern embankment of this small island on the Yongjiang River has collapsed into a large pit.
Several villagers from Group 18 of Lezhou Village stated that the large pit appeared when the sand dredger was extracting sand. Not long ago, dozens of sand dredgers simultaneously appeared in this river section, crazily stealing river sand day and night. This not only caused part of the Sun Island embankment to collapse but also affected some farmland by the river, either collapsing or sinking.
Some villagers expressed dissatisfaction with this illegal sand extraction behavior. They worried that if it continues like this, it would bring greater safety hazards, leading to severe soil erosion. Not long ago, Li Hansong, the group leader of Group 17 in Lezhou Village, along with the villagers, drove away the sand dredgers from the river section of Group 17.
Some villagers mentioned that law enforcement departments had also come to investigate, but strangely, after the illegal sand extractors were dealt with, they soon returned and continued their operations here. "Some boats that were confiscated the previous day even returned the next day to continue extracting sand."
What puzzled the villagers was that sometimes, before the law enforcement officers even arrived on the scene, these sand dredgers had already received early warning and left.
Informed Person:
Illegal sand extraction brings huge profits, and villagers can "share dividends"
According to informed villagers, the boats that steal sand in this river section usually take away a batch of river sand and return within one or two days. 90% of the river sand is transported downstream, reportedly to sand fields around Heng County, while the rest is absorbed by nearby sand fields.
These sand dredgers generally can carry sixty to seventy cubic meters of river sand, with some capable of carrying up to a hundred cubic meters. Currently, in the Nanning market, medium-coarse sand costs 72 yuan per cubic meter, and coarse sand costs 65 yuan.
As for the villagers of Lezhou Village, not everyone opposes the illegal sand extraction. Informed villagers said that those who illegally extract sand here are mostly outsiders. They can maintain a long-term presence here because the villagers benefit from it.
It is understood that whenever a sand dredger comes to extract sand, there are villagers who board the ship to demand "sand extraction fees." Generally speaking, every time the sand dredger fills up with sand, it must pay around 100 yuan to the villagers. These fees are sometimes pocketed by individual villagers and other times distributed among the households of the village group.
Law Enforcement Department:
"Deliberately breaking the rules, extremely crazy"
"This is deliberately breaking the rules, really extremely crazy." An official from the Nanning Water Conservancy Bureau said that regarding the illegal sand extraction behavior in this river section, the main leaders of the Nanning municipal government have made instructions, demanding strict investigation. Recently, law enforcement departments have conducted multiple investigations, achieving certain results, causing the illegal sand theft activities on the Yongjiang River to be somewhat restrained. However, driven by huge profits, it cannot be ruled out that someone might deliberately break the rules.
When law enforcement departments act, illegal sand extractors receive early warnings - in response to local villagers' questions, this official said that while law enforcement personnel monitor illegal theft behaviors, illegal individuals also conduct "counter-surveillance" on them. "They arrange people to watch and guard in some river sections. Once they discover law enforcement actions, they immediately notify the sand dredgers to stop work and leave the scene."
I noticed that on the Yongjiang River surface from Sun Island to the center of Nanning City, many sand dredgers are moored. This official said that most of these ships are used for illegal sand extraction. Due to law enforcement monitoring and patrols, these ships dare not make rash moves.
That afternoon, due to tight manpower, the department was unable to go to the incident river section for handling. This official indicated that they will choose an appropriate time based on the situation to carry out crackdowns.