Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc assigned the Ministry of Construction to study Cambodia’s permanent prohibition on sand exports and the impact on the construction materials market in Viet Nam.

The assignment was given after Cambodia issued the ban on sand exports to protect the country’s environment in July.

Phuc asked the construction ministry to issue proper solutions and guide localities to take the initiative in stabilising the local construction materials market. He said Viet Nam would continue to implement the policy of not exporting all kinds of sand to foreign countries.

According to statistics from the ministry’s Construction Material Department, licensed sand mining can meet only 60-65 per cent of the demand of large cities. Meanwhile, Viet Nam is rapidly developing its infrastructure, therefore the demand for sand is constantly increasing.

The country’s demand for sand in 2015 was some 92 million cu.m. The volume is predicted to reach 130 million cu.m. by 2020.

Statistics revealed that Viet Nam’s total sand resources are estimated at 2.3 billion cu.m.

Insiders said with this rapid pace of construction, the supply of sand will be exhausted in less than 15 years.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment also warned that if there is no planning and no alternative material, there is a risk of no sand being left for construction. — VNS