According to the Draft Law on Geology and Minerals, organizations and individuals exploiting minerals are obliged to keep and provide information on the results of additional exploration, exploration to upgrade mineral reserves and mineral exploitation; install weighing stations or measuring devices or other methods to determine and control the actual mineral output before transporting it out of the mining project area; install surveillance cameras at warehouses to store related information and data.

The Draft Law on Geology and Minerals has amended and supplemented contents to suit reality to resolve difficulties and problems in the past when implementing regulations on mineral exploitation related to administrative procedures and procedures on mineral exploitation; clearly stipulates statistics on actual mineral exploitation output and inventory of remaining mineral reserves.

Not only stipulated in the Draft Law, recently, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has requested localities to inspect sand and gravel gathering stations on river beds and the installation of weighing stations and cameras to monitor the volume of sand and gravel bought and sold at the stations in response to the current situation of dishonest declaration of actual mineral output.

To rectify the above situation, ensure publicity and transparency in mineral exploration and exploitation activities, and ensure the supply of filling materials for key projects under implementation, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has requested provinces and centrally-run cities to thoroughly grasp the contents of Decree No. 23/2020/ND-CP dated February 24, 2020 of the Government regulating the management of sand and gravel on riverbeds and protection of riverbeds, banks and beaches.

In particular, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment proposed to focus on checking and reviewing the registration of names and types of vehicles and equipment used to exploit and transport sand and gravel; the installation of devices to monitor journeys and store data and information on the location and travel routes of vehicles and equipment used to exploit and transport sand and gravel; checking the requirements for river sand and gravel wharfs and yards, the installation of weighing stations and cameras to monitor the volume of sand and gravel bought and sold at wharfs and yards; requirements for vehicles transporting sand and gravel on rivers; requirements for business activities and use of river sand and gravel, and compliance with regulations on ensuring the legal origin of minerals used in construction works.

At the same time, inspect and monitor the permitted exploitation time, the implementation of legal regulations in the impact assessment report of exploitation activities to ensure the stability of river banks and riverside areas; ensure flow circulation, drainage capacity, flood discharge, channel erosion, river bank and beach erosion, decline in river water level in the dry season, and conservation of related ecosystems.

In addition, inspect and supervise the statistics and inventory of actual mineral exploitation output according to the instructions in Circular No. 17/2020/TTBTNMT dated December 24, 2020 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; arrange and coordinate mineral exploitation output for key transport projects in the region according to the direction of the Government and the Prime Minister.

On the local side, Quang Ngai province has requested mineral mines to install cameras and weighing stations at the mineral mines. Quang Ngai province will suspend, require to stop operations and not consider extending the Mineral Exploitation License for mineral mines that do not complete the installation of weighing stations and surveillance cameras at the mining area.

In Thanh Hoa, on November 10, 2023, the Provincial People's Committee sent an Official Dispatch to the Department of Natural Resources and Environment requesting to continue to strictly implement the installation of weighing stations and cameras at mineral mines in the province. The content includes: For mines that have not installed weighing stations and cameras, the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Natural Resources and Environment to directly work with mine owners to request units to install weighing stations and cameras in accordance with the provisions of law and the direction of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, handle according to authority or propose competent authorities to handle mines that deliberately do not install weighing stations and cameras in accordance with regulations.

Not only recently, when the media reported that many local mineral mines had been operating for many years but had not installed weighing stations and cameras according to the law, but previously, regulations on the installation of these devices had been focused on by some localities. Typically, in 2019, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Gia Lai province issued a document requesting mineral enterprises in the area to urgently complete the installation of weighing stations and
Surveillance cameras at mineral mines have been licensed to operate by the Provincial People's Committee.

Accordingly, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Gia Lai province requires enterprises to install weighing stations at the locations where raw minerals are taken out of the mining area and install surveillance cameras at warehouses to store relevant data. Monthly, statistics, calculations, and data updates must be made in books and documents to declare the output for calculating mineral resource tax and determine the annual mining output in the periodic mineral mining report to be sent to the Tax Authority as prescribed.

It can be seen that the regulations are clear, the important thing is whether the localities fully implement them and whether the enterprises strictly comply. This is also the wish of the unit in charge of drafting the Draft Law on Geology and Minerals when including regulations on installing weighing stations or measuring devices to control the actual output of exploited minerals in the Law.