Sand Wars

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John Bingham
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by John Bingham »

atst wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:49 pm Is the sand going up the river for local use, and what local use is it for, or is it going o/s ,
As someone already pointed out, Vietnam won't allow the export of sand via the Mekong, because of obvious fears of erosion in the delta. The sand dredged from the Chaktomuk area is used to backfill rice fields, swamps and sometimes flooded land. If you take any route out of the city there are vast areas of new developments, huge boreys and industrial facilities, and huge flat reclaimed areas with walls waiting for development. There is a natural flow of sediment down any river and the confluence of the Tonle Sap and Mekong rivers has been growing since French records began. Of course it has to be managed so it doesn't undermine banks etc. The vast number of barges on the river is phenomenal, as is development.
The big question is about river sand exports from Koh Kong. That doesn't have to pass Viet stringency.
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John Bingham
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by John Bingham »

There seem to be a few ways to backfill a swamp. I lived near the new 60 meter road as it was recovered from wetland/ swamp/ lake and then built. So because of the scale and proximity to the Bassac River, they can build a depot for the barges to drop off sand at a jetty. Then this slurry of sand gets pumped through plastic 50cm/20" pipe to another smaller pumping station on the receiving end.

So for a long time workers slot pipes together and spill out slurry, wait for it to dry out, get excavators in to build berms, fill up that patch, repeat. It's certainly not just a case of spewing slurry everywhere.

The other option, if you don't live near a river is to use dumper trucks. You can't load trucks up with slurry like in the old days, spilling all that crap all over the streets. So it has to be dry. I look at these 150 hectare plots along the national routes that have been reclaimed and get baffled thinking how many truck loads that was. Such is life in a flood zone.
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Duncan
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Re: Sand Wars

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John Bingham wrote: Thu Jun 25, 2020 10:31 pm There seem to be a few ways to backfill a swamp. I lived near the new 60 meter road as it was recovered from wetland/ swamp/ lake and then built. So because of the scale and proximity to the Bassac River, they can build a depot for the barges to drop off sand at a jetty. Then this slurry of sand gets pumped through plastic 50cm/20" pipe to another smaller pumping station on the receiving end.

So for a long time workers slot pipes together and spill out slurry, wait for it to dry out, get excavators in to build berms, fill up that patch, repeat. It's certainly not just a case of spewing slurry everywhere.

The other option, if you don't live near a river is to use dumper trucks. You can't load trucks up with slurry like in the old days, spilling all that crap all over the streets. So it has to be dry. I look at these 150 hectare plots along the national routes that have been reclaimed and get baffled thinking how many truck loads that was. Such is life in a flood zone.
No matter how much sand or dirt they put in those lakes to build houses or hi-rise buildings on, the structure of what is in the bottom of the lake and below it stays the same. I always describe it as the skin on a rice pudding. In most places here is nothing but a mix of mud / water slurry below and I would say if there was ever even a small earthquake the buildings would be bobbing around like a cork in the sea.
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atst
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by atst »

Thanks I seen a small scale of this in Kratie where they pumped the sand from a barge took a bit of riding around to see where it ended up as couldn't follow the pipe, found it about 1Klm from the river, interesting to me but my girl was puzzled what I was looking for and why I'd bothered, hey it pasted the morning away.
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Duncan
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by Duncan »

atst wrote: Fri Jun 26, 2020 6:25 am Thanks I seen a small scale of this in Kratie where they pumped the sand from a barge took a bit of riding around to see where it ended up as couldn't follow the pipe, found it about 1Klm from the river, interesting to me but my girl was puzzled what I was looking for and why I'd bothered, hey it pasted the morning away.
Maybe some of those that have arrived in Cambodia recently dont know that there was once a large sand island in front of PP riverside where the Tonlie and Mekong join together. A large steel pipe about 600 mm dia was layed under the Tonlie Sap all the way to the Boung Kak and a large ship size dredge proceeded to pump that island to fill in the lake.
Spoiler:
after the environmental impact report was finished
A distance of several km.

I'm just sorry I never bothered to take pics .
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by whatwat »

Image

So going on JB’s comments and the closeness of the land being filled to rivers. This is in Kampot where a barge is pumping sand onto the shore ready to be loaded into tipper trucks to be taken elsewhere.

Now I don’t know where the barge got the sand but it was listing pretty bad so I’d imagine it wasn’t directly from the river.
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SternAAlbifrons
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by SternAAlbifrons »

I am not familiar with sand movements in Kampot, Watwat, but pretty sure this sand was dredged from the river or the nearby coasline somewhere. It looks like the typical setup for dredging to landfill operations you see everywhere.

If anybody wants to take a scooter ride around the Kampot locale and can give a brief description of sand dredging operations, and sand relocation, it would be apprecciated.
Particularly related to the new big coastal reclamations - and work for the port.
thanks
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atst
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by atst »

How much pressure is on the hulls of these boats going up and down the river , I'm always waiting for one to snap in half

Image
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by Anchor Moy »

SternAAlbifrons wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:20 am I am not familiar with sand movements in Kampot, Watwat, but pretty sure this sand was dredged from the river or the nearby coasline somewhere. It looks like the typical setup for dredging to landfill operations you see everywhere.

If anybody wants to take a scooter ride around the Kampot locale and can give a brief description of sand dredging operations, and sand relocation, it would be apprecciated.
Particularly related to the new big coastal reclamations - and work for the port.
thanks
I have some photos from Kampot river to the sea from 6 months ago. Includes some work sites. I will and look through them see if there is anything interesting when I get a bit of time.
Khmer_Risotto
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Re: Sand Wars

Post by Khmer_Risotto »

Anchor Moy wrote: Tue Sep 29, 2020 5:54 pm
SternAAlbifrons wrote: Mon Jun 29, 2020 4:20 am I am not familiar with sand movements in Kampot, Watwat, but pretty sure this sand was dredged from the river or the nearby coasline somewhere. It looks like the typical setup for dredging to landfill operations you see everywhere.

If anybody wants to take a scooter ride around the Kampot locale and can give a brief description of sand dredging operations, and sand relocation, it would be apprecciated.
Particularly related to the new big coastal reclamations - and work for the port.
thanks
I have some photos from Kampot river to the sea from 6 months ago. Includes some work sites. I will and look through them see if there is anything interesting when I get a bit of time.
Last few times I've been to Kampot this year there has been a sand dredger going up and down the river all day, north of town.
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