The profession chooses the person.
Their means of livelihood are not large fishing boats, but rather small basket boats and small vessels used to… collect garbage. They are three brothers: Nguyen Nuoi (born 1971), Nguyen Du (born 1973), and Nguyen Tam (born 1980), residing in residential area 11, Phan Thiet ward, and working for Binh Thuan Urban Environment and Services Joint Stock Company. Many residents of this coastal town have long known them by the respectful name: The keepers of the river's "greenness."
Mr. Nguyen Nuoi, the team leader of the garbage collection team, is quite stocky, with a tanned but sturdy complexion. When he met us, he quickly pulled down his mask, revealing scratches under his armpits. Taking a sip of water to cool down, Mr. Nuoi shared: “Decades ago, I worked at sea. But now I'm steering a small boat, collecting garbage from the river of my hometown. Twenty-three years have passed so quickly!”
With all that time, he's become intimately familiar with the "rhythm" of the Ca Ty River.
The Ca Ty River is considered the "soul" that shapes the banks of Phan Thiet before flowing into the sea. Originating from the Ong Mountain range at an altitude of over 1,300 meters, the river flows from north to south, then changes direction to northwest to southeast before emptying into the sea at Thuong Chanh estuary in Phan Thiet. The upper reaches are also known as the Muong Man River. The Ca Ty River is 65 km long. Along with iconic architectural structures such as the Le Hong Phong, Tran Hung Dao, and Duc Thanh bridges connecting the two banks, it facilitates transportation and creates a striking urban landscape. Therefore, it plays a significant role in the local economic and social development.
However, behind that idyllic scene, countless pieces of trash drift down the river every hour. Collecting trash on land is hard enough, but doing it underwater is ten times harder. The nature of their work makes them completely dependent on the tides. When the tide rises, the three brothers paddle their small boat along the embankments to collect freely floating trash. When the tide recedes, they have to wade in, using iron rakes to pull out bags of trash stuck in the deep mud.
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"This job may look simple, but not everyone can handle it. The unit has previously assigned several other people, but they couldn't meet the job requirements. The standards for this job demand endurance, dexterity, the ability to swim, the ability to steer a boat, and most importantly, diligence and a genuine dedication," said Pham Thi My Duyen, an employee of the Business Department of Binh Thuan Urban Environment and Services Joint Stock Company.
Danger constantly lurks beneath the water's surface. More than once, their hands have bled from broken glass shards or rusty nails hidden in garbage bags. The thick, foul stench emanating from accumulated waste is something they breathe every day.
But the most frightening thing is the weight of the waterlogged trash. Pointing to the long net, Mr. Nuoi explained: "Trash that has been submerged in water for a long time is incredibly heavy. To retrieve it, you need the skill to 'hook' the end of the bag to let some of the water drain out before using force to pull it onto the boat. If you're in the wrong position, the weight of the trash can easily overturn the basket or drag the person retrieving it down into the river."
Every day, the three brothers roll up their trousers to their knees, wear flip-flops, and use the necessary tools to collect trash from the riverbed. Each day they collect 3-4 cubic meters of trash, which they then move to the embankment along Pham Van Dong Street for a specialized vehicle to transport away. For them, the work is arduous, but they cling to this profession for their livelihood.
"Like a crab carrying sand"?
The place where I stood talking to the garbage collection team was downstream, at a bend in the river where it prepares to connect to the sea. Hundreds of fishing boats are moored closely together in this area. This characteristic has inadvertently turned the riverbed into an "unintentional garbage dump." The peak period is during the south wind season, which lasts from June to September each year.
Right when the tide was receding, making boat travel difficult, the three brothers decided to clear the trash from both sides of the river and gather it ashore. Nguyen Tam, while busily raking the trash, confided: “Our parents used to be sanitation workers. Therefore, all three of us have decided to follow in our family's footsteps. I'm currently studying to get my boat driver's license so I can stay in this job long-term. Although it's hard work, seeing the river cleaner and more spacious each afternoon makes everyone feel happy.”
“But human strength is limited, while the trash is endless. There are days when the three of us work tirelessly from morning till evening to clean a section of the river. Yet, after just one night of rising and falling tides or after a heavy rain, the next morning, the trash is piled up again as if it had never been cleaned,” Nuoi said, gazing wistfully towards the estuary, his voice heavy with worry as he thought of the futility of trying to move sand like a crab.
For a green river
The concerns of the garbage collectors reflect the unresolved issue that the local authorities have been struggling with for many years. Mr. Do Huu Phuoc, Vice Chairman of the Phan Thiet Ward People's Committee, acknowledged: "The garbage situation on the Ca Ty River is affected by many factors. Especially now, during the rainy season, the tides rise and fall constantly, so some of the garbage from the sea is carried in by the current."
In addition, a large amount of waste from the upstream area of the Ca Ty River also flows downstream to the urban center. But the most fundamental cause remains the habit of some residents and fishermen on boats dumping waste directly into the river and sea. Local authorities have implemented various solutions, from increasing the number of trucks to extending the collection shifts. However, these are only temporary solutions, addressing only the symptoms of the problem.
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The leaders of Phan Thiet ward People's Committee emphasized that in the coming time, the locality will implement stronger sanctions. Specifically, they will install surveillance camera systems in some areas to promptly detect and strictly handle cases of deliberate illegal wastewater discharge.
Returning to the river cleanup workers after a day's work, they paddle their basket boats back to shore, heading home to rest. Their faces show signs of fatigue, but their eyes still sparkle with joy as they look back at the now clear stretch of river.
As dusk fell, the streetlights illuminating the bridges over the Ca Ty River changed color brilliantly. I thought to myself, their work is quiet and unnoticed. But without them, the river would no longer be so clear. Before leaving, Mr. Nuoi entrusted me with a message: He hoped that people would change their mindset and not choose the river as a dumping ground for waste. So that every morning, the Ca Ty River would retain its pristine, peaceful beauty.
For the Ca Ty River to truly revive, the fundamental story must begin at its root: changing people's mindset. Phan Thiet is aiming to build a green, clean, and beautiful tourist city. To achieve this, the entire community needs to work together.
Source: https://baolamdong.vn/giu-xanh-dong-song-pho-bien-451651.html
