Electrocution of earthworms destroys the environment and can cause desertification, so it should be considered a crime, according to agricultural professor Do Kim Chung.
Expressing his indignation at the problem of electric shock to earthworms in many northern localities, Professor Do Kim Chung, a lecturer at the Vietnam Academy of Agriculture, analyzed that transmitting electric current underground will kill not only worms but also many microorganisms, affecting the soil environment.
According to scientific documents, each gram of soil has up to 6 million microorganisms living. Whether the soil is good or not depends on the number of microorganisms present in it. Earthworms are considered the "biological plow" of farmers, helping the soil to be loose; they are an important link in transforming soil nutrients, creating conditions for the production of beneficial organic substances, helping plants grow well.
"When worms and microorganisms die, it reduces the ability of the soil to regenerate fertility, making the soil poorer, causing desertification, affecting crops, and even killing them," said Mr. Chung, who believes that authorities need to strictly prohibit worm stimulation, and even consider it a crime that destroys the environment.
After being cut open and cleaned, the worms are placed on racks to be dried or sun-dried. Photo: Thanh Hai
Dr. Luong Huu Thanh, Institute of Agricultural Environment, said that in agricultural ecosystems, earthworms are considered an indicator of soil fertility. The growth process of earthworms will help humify the soil, increase porosity, moisture retention, and improve the quality of cultivated soil. Where there are many worms, the soil is good and loose and vice versa.
"Using electric shock to destroy earthworms as it is now will be like a knife cutting off the natural soil improvement cycle, seriously affecting the ecological environment as well as the quality of agricultural land," said Dr. Thanh.
To restore the land that has been electrocuted to catch worms, Mr. Thanh said that it is necessary to increase the use of organic fertilizers, creating a favorable environment for earthworms to grow again. The government can also guide people to breed and raise earthworms within a manageable area. Currently, Hoa Binh province has a number of households raising worms in their gardens, harvesting four times a year.
Earthworms include many species, belonging to the Oligochaeta subclass (genital-belted worms), Annelida phylum (annelid worms). In many countries, worms are also raised for waste treatment purposes. Thanks to earthworms, Australia has recycled about 20% of organic waste, contributing to solving ecological and waste problems, protecting the environment. Research shows that 100-200 grams of worms can process up to 300 kg of waste.
Earthworm machine. Photo: Contributor
The problem of electric shock to earthworms appeared a lot since 2019, then subsided. In the past month, this situation has been rampant in Hoa Binh, Bac Giang, Son La, Tuyen Quang, Bac Giang... The worm shocker consists of two sharp rods connected to a large capacity electric battery, or uses batteries. When the iron rod is inserted into the ground, after only one minute, worms within about one square meter will crawl out.
The worms are caught, their internal organs are removed, dried and sold to agents who send them to China. About 13 kg of live worms will yield 1 kg of dried worms, which are sold for about 600,000 VND. Decree 91/2019 on administrative sanctions for violations in the land sector has identified acts of land destruction, but electric shock to earthworms has not been clearly regulated and there are no sanctions.
Viet An
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