People's lives are disrupted by floods.

The road along the Ngang Canal in Lang Sen hamlet, Vinh Chau commune, has turned into a river.

Anxious about the water level.

For the past two weeks, the lives of more than 250 households along the Ngang Canal in Lang Sen and Ca Dam hamlets, Vinh Chau commune, have been disrupted, with houses submerged in a "sea of water." As the water rises, residents have to move their belongings to higher ground. This is the only way they can cope when the entire hamlet is flooded. Mr. Truong Van Doan (a resident of Lang Sen hamlet) confided: "We hope the water recedes so we can clean up our house and get back to normal. We have two beds; one for our two children to sleep on, and the other to raise our belongings. My wife and I have to sleep temporarily on a small boat. It's manageable on nights when it doesn't rain, but when it rains, it's even more difficult. Recently, I borrowed 3 million dong from relatives to buy a small boat to move our belongings onto, so we don't have to worry about the water rising anymore."

Sharing the same predicament as Mr. Doan, Mr. and Mrs. Truong Van Huong (residents of Lang Sen hamlet) are also in a state of "unable to leave, unable to stay," because since the floodwaters entered their house, their family has been scattered. Their grandchildren and daughter-in-law are staying with their in-laws, while their elderly mother is staying with an acquaintance for easier care. Not only that, the floodwaters have caused part of the house's foundation to subside, and some of their belongings have been damaged by prolonged water damage. The couple only hopes the floodwaters recede quickly so they can get their lives back on track. Mr. Huong shared: "My wife and I saved up almost our entire lives to build this house, which is higher than the road level, because we were afraid of the floodwaters. For nearly 20 years, the house has never been flooded, but this year the flood was too big, completely submerging the house. The flood came unexpectedly, and my family couldn't react in time; in just two days, the floodwaters had already entered the house."

The road turned into a river.

Mr. Truong Van Doan (residing in Lang Sen hamlet, Vinh Chau commune) is stacking his belongings to protect his property.

The floodwaters rose quickly and high, completely submerging many roads in Vinh Chau commune, paralyzing road traffic. Students had to travel to school by boat. Truong Thi Diem (a resident of Vinh Chau commune) confided: “Normally, I ride my bicycle to school. For the past two weeks, the roads have been flooded, so I have to leave my bike at a friend's house and cross the river by boat to get to school. Sometimes my clothes and books get wet while I'm in the boat, but this is the only way to get to school.”

The KT4 road (in Khanh Hung commune) was paved with gravel a year ago to facilitate travel for the people. Just a few months after its completion and opening, the road was completely submerged by floods, and the red gravel was washed away. Now, people have to wade through the flooded road every day. Mr. Nguyen Hue (a resident of Khanh Hung commune) confided: “My wife and I are elderly and live alone. We have to go to the market every few days. Sometimes, wading through this road is very scary; it's dangerous for us to fall. After this incident, we hope that the authorities will find a solution to upgrade the road and make travel more convenient for the people.”

For over two months, 25 households living along the Nong Truong canal (Khanh Hung commune) have had to take a very long detour because the road to the commune center is completely flooded. This flooding has been a recurring problem for many years. This year, the road along the Nong Truong canal is even more severely flooded. The Party Secretary and Head of Lang Lon hamlet (Khanh Hung commune) suggested: “Every year, when the floodwaters come, the Nong Truong canal area is isolated, causing immense difficulties for the people, especially students who have to take a very long detour to get to school. We request that all levels and sectors upgrade the Nong Truong canal road and build a bridge connecting the Long Khot canal to this area to facilitate easier travel for residents and promote border trade development.”

The flood season is associated with a peaceful rural landscape. The rising water brings fish and shrimp and deposits fertile silt. For many years, people have "lived with the floods" and learned how to exploit the resources they bring. However, this year's flood was unexpectedly severe, causing not only property damage but also disrupting the lives of people in the Dong Thap Muoi region.

Minh Thu

Source: https://baolongan.vn/cuoc-life-of-people-on-large-islands-due-to-flood-a205347.html