Harvesting rice at night by lamplight

BAC NINH - The circulation of storm No. 10 caused heavy rains in many places right at the time when many areas of winter-spring rice in Bac Ninh province were preparing to harvest. Rising river water and prolonged heavy rains put thousands of hectares of rice and crops at risk of total loss. In all the fields along the river, hundreds of officers, soldiers of the police, army, militia, union members, and members of political and social organizations did not mind working hard through the night to join hands with the people to save the golden rice.

Light up the rice harvest at night

In late September, floodwaters on the Cau River rose, threatening hundreds of hectares of rice in the two communes of Hop Thinh and Xuan Cam. People in the communes along the dike are used to "living with floods", but every time the water level rises, the whole village is in a panic and calls each other to quickly go to the fields to harvest rice to escape the flood.

Farmers in Hop Thinh commune hurriedly harvested rice before the flood came.

Under the direct leadership of the Party Committee and People's Committee of Hop Thinh commune, the army, militia, youth union members and machinery went to the fields to support people in harvesting rice. "The whole commune has more than 2,200 hectares of winter-spring rice ready for harvest. If we do not urgently save the rice tonight, tens of tons of rice will be at risk of being lost" - said Mr. Nguyen Van Thang, Chairman of the People's Committee of Hop Thinh commune.

The night on the Cau River was quiet, dozens of ships lined up to anchor close to the dike to avoid the flood. Inside the dike, the atmosphere of work was hurried and urgent. Under the bright headlights, the rice fields were flooded with water, and after a while, the combine harvester drove around, bringing full bags of rice to the shore. The officers and soldiers in green shirts waded in the fields, rhythmically passing each bag of rice to each other on the shore.

Clothes were soaked from the rain and mud, but everyone worked tirelessly, trying to quickly bring the rice home for the people. An Ngoc Kien, the squad leader of the Dong Dao village militia squad, arrived early to help the people harvest the rice. He said: “Last year, typhoon Yagi came, the fields here were completely submerged. This time, the floodwaters rose quickly, the risk of flooding was very high; the only difference was that the fields were brightly lit, the sound of the harvesters running seemed to tear apart the quiet night and the fear of flooding at any time. Everyone was enthusiastic, no one thought about being tired.”

Mr. Nguyen Van Sang shared: “My family has 5 sao of rice planted in this field but we are short of staff, our children work far away. The rice is not yet certain to be harvested, it will take nearly ten days, but if we delay, the flood will come and we will lose everything. Luckily, the commune and village officials and other forces have come to help, I am very happy.”

Thanks to the timely support, by nearly midnight, dozens of tons of rice had been brought ashore, piled up on a high concrete yard, waiting to dry. The night along the Cau River was quiet, the water surface still silently inched up centimeter by centimeter, but in the bright light, Hop Thinh farmers could rest assured that the rice had reached the shore in time.

"Harvest site"

Not only in Hop Thinh, since the afternoon of October 1, many fields in Xuan Cam commune, Nenh ward, and Da Mai ward have also become "harvest sites" before the flood.

Youth Union members of Da Mai ward help farmers harvest rice.

Heavy rain for several consecutive days combined with floods on the Thuong River has caused the rice fields in Ngoc Tri residential group (Da Mai ward) to be at risk of severe flooding. If not harvested in time, the rice could be completely lost.

Faced with the urgent situation, nearly 200 officers, soldiers, police, militiamen and members of local mass organizations did not hesitate to be present in time to help people harvest rice. Ms. Luong Thi Phuong, Head of Ngoc Tri Residential Group, said: "The residential group has 127 households, most of whom are elderly, middle-aged, and young people who go to school or work far away. When hearing the news that the flood was about to flood the fields, people were very worried. Fortunately, the ward mobilized forces to support, and in just a few hours, the whole field was harvested."

For the people of Ngoc Tri, this is probably the first time they have been supported by such a large force. Present to directly direct, comrade Do Van Quy, Chairman of the People's Committee of Da Mai Ward said: "We determined that the task of preventing and fighting natural disasters is urgent at this time, so we focused on directing and mobilizing forces by all means to save rice as well as other assets, making efforts to minimize damage to the people."

Harvesting the rice crop during the flood season was fraught with difficulties. Many fields were waist-deep in water, the rice was submerged in water, and the people and officials had to bend down to scoop up each bunch, cut it, and bundle it neatly. Without enough supporting materials, the volunteers had to use tarpaulins to tie the two ends together to make a “boat” to pull the rice to shore. There were also union officials whose hands were bitten by insects and swelled up, but they still insisted on staying in the fields, volunteering to help the people to the end.

Forces support people of Da Mai ward to harvest rice.

On the day of harvesting rice to escape the flood, at night, people turn on the lights to thresh each grain of rice. Under the light of the electric bulb running from the mobile generator, the sound of the threshing machine blends with the bustling calls of each other along the dike. The still-wet golden rice grains are put into bags and transported home safely. "The harvested rice must be threshed immediately, otherwise it will sprout and become moldy. Families with many people help those with few people, cadres and union members also stay to work together, sometimes only stopping at midnight" - Ms. Luong Thi Phuong said.

In Xuan Cam commune, the rising water level of the Cau River threatens the lives of nearly 600 households along the left dike of the Cau River, of which the most serious risk of flooding is 465 households in villages outside the dike such as Mai Trung, Mai Thuong, and Vong Giang. On October 1, the Xuan Cam Commune Police coordinated with the commune's military forces to urgently help people harvest crops and transport assets and livestock to higher ground. When the flood on the Cau River reached the alarm level, many officers and soldiers were still on duty on the dike, propagating and instructing motor vehicles not to go through the dangerous area. Some soldiers did not return home for many days, putting aside their personal matters to stay and focus with their units and the authorities to protect the safety of the people.

The circulation of storm No. 10 affected more than 3,100 hectares of crops, of which 2,500 hectares of rice were downed and flooded (802 hectares were completely submerged), about 600 hectares of corn, vegetables, peanuts, and fruit trees were also damaged. Thanks to the help of the forces, by October 1, people had harvested more than 4,000 hectares out of a total of 76,000 hectares of winter-spring rice in the whole province.

During the flood, each bag of rice brought ashore is not only the golden grain of the crop, but also the result of the spirit of solidarity and sharing between the Party Committee, the government and the people. Each hectare of rice "rescued" in time not only reduces the immediate worries but also preserves the results of many days of hard work and hardship of farmers in the riverside communes, wading through the fields. With the spirit of the army and people working together, the "harvesting sites" that go through the night on the flooded fields are stories filled with affection in the harsh context of the weather, all for the purpose of protecting the rice grains - the golden grains of the fields.

Hoai Thu - Mai Toan - Minh Thuy

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/chong-den-gat-lua-dem-postid427943.bbg