Shortage of gasoline and oil to serve flood relief for people in western Nghe An

Scarcity and difficulty in transporting gasoline and oil

Our group of reporters from Nghe An Newspaper, Radio and Television, along with the authorities from My Ly and Nhon Mai communes, entered the 21 isolated villages in Nhon Mai commune on July 29. The only means of access was a motorboat, which traveled along the Nam Non River for about 3 hours. On the way, the boat had to stop to handle "incidents" 3 times, and each time the amount of oil quickly decreased.

As of July 31, relief work for people in isolated areas in My Ly commune and from My Ly commune to Nhon Mai commune could only be carried out by boat on the Nam Non river. Photo: Hoai Thu

Authorities transport goods onto boats to supply people in isolated areas in My Ly commune. Photo: Hoai Thu

Mr. Vi Van Ngo - the boat driver said, normally the boat only runs one trip a day. However, due to the urgent situation of relief for the people, these days the boat runs two trips a day, and the crew only rests at 9-10 pm. But the biggest worry is the lack of gasoline and oil to run the engine.

A boat transporting relief goods to the flooded Nhon Mai area had to stop to deal with an obstruction on the Nam Non River (July 29). Photo: Hoai Thu

“We came back late last night and set off this morning without any spare fuel. Luckily, we only ran out of fuel when we were near the dock and had the support of our colleagues. Moreover, gasoline and oil are scarce, and we don’t have much to buy, so we have to wait for the government’s allocation and transportation from elsewhere,” said Mr. Ngo.

Also on the relief boat, Lieutenant Colonel Lo Tu Tai - Chief of Nhon Mai Commune Police also confirmed that currently, gasoline and oil sources are very scarce because the supply system in My Ly and Nhon Mai communes is damaged and cannot operate. Therefore, relief work in isolated areas can only be done by river, boats traveling 3-6 hours/trip must have enough fuel to be able to run.

Vi Van Ngo's boat ran out of fuel and was assisted by a friend's boat. Photo: Hoai Thu

Mr. Luong Van Trung in Nhon Mai village, Nhon Mai border commune, a local who specializes in boat driving to transport goods on the Nam Non river, said that for the past week, boat drivers like him in Nhon Mai and My Ly communes have been working at full capacity, trying their best to join the locality, military and police forces to rescue isolated people.

Mr. Luong Van Trung stopped his boat to refuel on the river so he could transport goods to his fellow countrymen in time. Photo: Hoai Thu

Efforts to support compatriots

The weather in My Ly and Nhon Mai communes in the past few days has been alternating between rain and sunshine, greatly affecting the health and relief work of the community. At noon on July 30, under the scorching sun, it was already 12 noon, but the transportation of gasoline and oil to serve the flood-affected areas with generators and boats transporting relief goods was still carried out.

Forces transporting gasoline and oil to supply generators and motorboats at the Xang Tren boat dock, My Ly commune. Photo taken at 12 noon on July 30. Photo: Hoai Thu

In the flood-stricken area of Nhon Mai, as of this morning (July 31st), where 21 villages remain isolated, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thuong, Political Officer of the Nhon Mai Border Guard Post, stated that the locality is currently facing a severe shortage of gasoline and diesel fuel to power generators and water purification systems for relief efforts. For over a week, the power grid and water supply pipelines in Nhon Mai commune have been completely destroyed and cut off by the floods. All machinery relies on gasoline and diesel fuel to operate.

Nhon Mai water filter — The water filtration system at the "Sao Xanh Charity House" of Nhon Mai Border Guard Station needs a lot of oil to operate continuously to serve the people. Photo: Hoai Thu

“Our Border Guard Station has a clean water filtration system to serve the people, but it only runs for a few hours a day due to lack of fuel. This morning (July 31), a benefactor understood this situation and sponsored 4 million VND (equivalent to 200 liters of fuel) to operate the water filtration system and generator to serve the people,” said Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Van Thuong.

At the Nhon Mai Commune People's Committee headquarters, Mr. Le Hong Thai, Chairman of the Commune People's Committee, said that the commune headquarters suffered heavy damage after the floods, and the electricity and water systems were completely cut off. Maintaining all commune activities relies on generator power and relief water supplies. Therefore, the supply of gasoline and diesel is very important.

Transporting fuel to flood-hit areas in Nhon Mai and My Ly. Clip: Hoai Thu

Source: https://baonghean.vn/khan-hiem-xang-dau-phuc-vu-cuu-tro-nguoi-dan-vung-lu-mien-tay-nghe-an-10303569.html