PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Manet has ordered the temporary suspension of sand dredging at locations where riverbank collapses are occurring until officials and technical experts are able to determine the cause of the erosion.
The directive was issued during the 25th plenary session of the Council of Ministers on Aug 28, amid growing public concern and social media allegations linking riverbank erosion to sand dredging operations.
Manet instructed the Sand Resources Management Committee, capital and provincial administrations and relevant departments to immediately inspect affected sites and determine whether the erosion was caused by dredging, strong currents, natural changes or other factors.
“For any location where the riverbank is collapsing and sand dredging is taking place, suspend the dredging first. Do not make the matter complicated,” he said.
“If we need two weeks to conduct an assessment, but the bank continues to collapse while dredging also continues there, the issues will become entangled,” he added.
The prime minister stressed that the suspension was a precautionary measure while technical findings remained inconclusive, rather than a predetermined judgment that sand dredging was responsible for every case of riverbank erosion.
“If the cause is not yet clear, suspend the operation first. If a riverbank is collapsing at a site where dredging is taking place, halt the activity and conduct a thorough assessment,” he said.
Under the directive, provincial departments responsible for water resources, the environment, and mines and energy must jointly inspect conditions at affected sites, with coordination from the Sand Resources Management Committee and capital or provincial administrations.
If subnational officials lack the expertise, equipment or technical capacity to complete an assessment, local authorities should immediately seek assistance from the relevant national ministries and institutions.
Manet said the physical presence of officials at affected locations was essential. Authorities should not leave an information vacuum or delay their response, as this could heighten public anxiety and allow unverified claims to spread.
“In some places, the riverbank is collapsing because the water level is rising quickly and the current is strong. In other places, it may be the natural impact of the current; we still need to investigate,” he said.
After the investigations and assessments are completed, the Sand Resources Management Committee and local administrations must promptly release the findings, clarify the causes and inform affected communities of the proposed solutions.
Manet noted that riverbank erosion had occurred both in areas with dredging operations and in places where no such activity was taking place. He therefore urged technical institutions to communicate with the public based on evidence and professional assessments, rather than issuing blanket denials or general conclusions.
The directive followed discussions between the prime minister and Minister of Mines and Energy Keo Rottanak, who had briefed him on riverbank erosion cases and their possible relationship with sand dredging.
Alongside his demand for swift official action, Manet advised officials to choose their words carefully when explaining technical issues to the public. Individual phrases could be removed from their original context and used for ridicule on social media, obscuring the intended technical message, he warned.
He referred to online mockery of remarks attributed to a government official about sand and rock, saying such episodes demonstrated why officials needed to speak precisely and focus directly on the issue under discussion.
The prime minister also called for action against false information, alleging that some social media users had combined images of a collapsed riverbank at one location with photographs of sand-dredging vessels taken elsewhere to create the impression of a direct connection.
However, he indicated that countering misinformation must go hand in hand with field inspections, the disclosure of evidence and clear explanations to residents about the measures authorities intend to take to address erosion and prevent further risks.
The Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology has previously conducted outreach in several provinces on the legal framework, management mechanisms and technical standards governing sand businesses.
At a June 12 meeting in Koh Kong province, ministry and provincial officials discussed responsible sand operations, their potential effects on residents’ livelihoods and the need to safeguard riverbanks.
The ministry and Stung Treng provincial authorities have also sought to strengthen the management of sand operations, focusing on environmental sustainability, the prevention of riverbank erosion and the reduction of negative effects on water currents.
Manet’s directive does not impose a nationwide suspension of sand dredging. It applies specifically to locations where riverbanks are actively collapsing and dredging is taking place nearby, allowing technical assessments to be conducted while reducing the risk of further damage. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
