Quanzhou, Fujian: Illegal mining in the name of mine restoration, and the inspector planted trees before he was stationed.
It is called mine restoration and management, but it is actually mining in the mountains;Under the pretext of land leveling, illegal mining of mineral resources;Even on the eve of the inspectors' arrival, they made a surprise attack on planting trees and laying turf ...... in the ecological restoration areaRecently, the reporter followed the first ecological and environmental protection inspection team to find that the problem of illegal mining in some places in Quanzhou City, Fujian Province is prominent, and the progress of the restoration of abandoned mines is lagging behind.
In the name of mine restoration and land leveling, mineral mining is carried out
The mining development of Quanzhou City, especially the development of facing stone, has a long history, a wide range and a large quantity, and the ecological problems of mines are prominent. In 2012, Quanzhou City issued a notice to propose the city's exit plan for facing stone mines and the adjustment plan for building stone mines.
In September 2020, Hui'an County approved the "ecological restoration and governance" project of the two mines, which was organized and implemented by the Hemu Farm Development Organization jointly established by the two mining enterprises.
The reporter saw in the mining area that there were multiple orbital disc saws used to cut rocks at the site, and the entrance of the mining area was also posted with the contact of **blocks**. The inspectors said that the company did not carry out the construction according to the requirements of the restoration plan, and there was no repair on the site but only mining. Since the implementation of the treatment project, not only has the mine not been repaired, but the mining area of the mining area has nearly doubled to 1045 acres, illegally occupying 27 forest land9 acres.
The relevant departments of the state clearly require that the remaining soil and stone materials generated by the mine rehabilitation project should be traded on the public resource trading platform. However, Hui'an County handed over the mineral resources generated by the treatment project to Hemu Farm for development and self-sale by way of agreement disposal.
Schematic diagram of the increased mining and destruction area of two mines in Hui'an County in 2020 and 2023. (Photo courtesy of the inspection team).
On November 27, 2023, the inspection team found that the development of Hemu Farm not only failed to repair the mine, but caused widespread damage. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gao Jing.
Why does illegal mining continue to occur under the explicit ban?
Inspectors found that some localities illegally exploited mineral resources in the name of land leveling.
Quanzhou Dongjin Machinery *** in Nan'an City obtained part of the land use right of Jilong Mountain in August 2014, and the land leveling should have been completed in October 2020, but it has actually been mining. By the time land levelling stopped in April 2023, the company had mined nearly 1 million cubic meters of mineral resources such as stone, sand and gravel for veneer, and the mining scope exceeded the red line of land supply429 acres.
Since then, Nan'an City has handed over the plot to another company to continue the "land leveling", and the illegal mining has continued to this day.
Comparison of satellite remote sensing images of Jilong Mountain in Nan'an City in 2012 and 2023. (Photo courtesy of the inspection team).
This is not an isolated case. The inspectors found that some counties (cities) in Quanzhou City sold plots of land involving facing stones in the name of land leveling, acquiescing to the fact that enterprises could mine without obtaining mining rights. Since 2018, a total of 33 stone plots involving facing have been transferred by relevant counties (cities), with nearly 4 million cubic meters of facing stone reserves.
The rehabilitation of abandoned mines is lagging behind, and the mines are seriously polluted
On the one hand, illegal mining, and on the other hand, the restoration of abandoned mines is lagging behind. At present, there are a large number of abandoned mines in Quanzhou, accounting for about one-third of the province, and the environmental problems continue to deteriorate due to slow restoration.
Stone mining in Caizai Mountain, Shijing Town, Nan'an City, began in the Qing Dynasty and reached its peak at the beginning of this century. The reporter learned that there are hundreds of mining pits left behind by quarrying, some of which are dozens of meters deep, with dangerous rocks and prominent potential safety hazards. In August 2017, Nan'an City included the Cai Tsai Mountain area in the scope of remediation and restoration, and divided it into two ecological restoration areas and one comprehensive remediation area. However, the inspectors found that since the implementation of the project in 2019, there has been no substantial progress in the 1,409 acres of ecological restoration area included in the plan.
The inspectors also found that on the eve of the inspection team's stationing, Nan'an City made a surprise attack on planting trees and laying turf in the ecological restoration area. Inspectors found that the restoration work was sloppy and some of the turf had even died.
Not only that, many mines in Quanzhou City are seriously polluted, and some have been reported by the surrounding people many times, but the supervision responsibilities of relevant departments are not in place, and the pollution problem has continued for a long time.
The reporter saw in the development of Hemu Farm in Hui'an County that the mining area was full of dust and serious environmental pollution. According to the inspectors, this company has been reported by the masses due to ecological damage and illegal sewage discharge. However, the relevant departments of Hui'an County responded perfunctorily, and in early November 2023, shortly before the inspectors were stationed, they approved the application for the extension of the project, resulting in the illegal behavior of the enterprise has not been effectively stopped so far.
On July 9, 2023, the inspection team found that there was a problem of inadequate pollution control facilities in Cai Zai Mountain, Nan'an City. (Photo courtesy of the inspection team).
Since 2019, the Jilongshan area of Nan'an City has been complained about illegal mining, environmental pollution and other problems 53 times. Although the relevant departments have repeatedly ordered corrections, the problem has not been effectively resolved. When the inspection team inspected the site, the company was still illegally mining, the management of the construction site was chaotic, and the sewage was cross-flowing and dusty.
Mine supervision is derelict in its duties and responsibilities, and ecological restoration needs to be scientifically promoted
The inspection team pointed out that some counties (cities) and departments in Quanzhou City have insufficient understanding of the importance of mine ecological protection, there are deviations in the development concept, dereliction of duty and responsibility in mine supervision, and the problem of illegal mining and ecological damage has not been effectively solved. The inspection team will further investigate and verify the relevant situation, and do a good job of follow-up inspection work as required.
In response to the problems found by the inspection team, Quanzhou City proposed to formulate a plan to supervise the whole process of the progress of mine ecological restoration and governance to ensure that the remediation work is completed with high standards and high quality.
The reporter noticed that illegal mining in the name of mine restoration and land leveling has always been the focus of attention of the first ecological and environmental protection inspectors, and it is also a typical problem that has been frequently reported in the previous two rounds of inspections.
The Mineral Resources Law clearly requires that the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources must be applied for separately in accordance with the law, and the prospecting rights and mining rights must be obtained with approval. In the context of a number of policies that have been issued in Fujian Province and Quanzhou City, it is basically not feasible for enterprises to apply for new mining rights, and it is more likely to breed the problem of illegal mining under various names. Industry insiders said that the issue of mining under the pretext of land leveling is representative, and the relevant departments should fulfill their responsibilities and further strengthen supervision.
In addition, the reporter followed the inspectors to find that some abandoned mine ecological treatment projects are mere formalities, and in some places plants are planted after simply covering the soil on a thick layer of stone powder, and the restoration effect is not obvious.
In this regard, the inspectors said that the ecological restoration of abandoned mines should be scientifically evaluated, and it is first necessary to see whether it is necessary to carry out restoration and whether the restoration plan will produce new damage. On this basis, the scientific preparation of the implementation plan can achieve the effect of reducing the hidden dangers of geological disasters and restoring the ecology.
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