The residents of Trung Thang village, Muong Ly commune, have installed a system of batteries, chargers, and power outlets to store electricity from solar energy.
According to statistics from the Department of Industry and Trade and Thanh Hoa Power Company, there are currently 761 households in 23 villages and hamlets across 9 mountainous communes in the province that do not have access to the national power grid. These settlements are mainly located in areas with fragmented terrain and scattered populations, making investment in electricity infrastructure challenging.
In Muong Ly commune alone, there are still about 169 households in various residential clusters without electricity. In Trung Ly commune, 110 households in the villages of Tung, Ma Hac, and Ta Com are still waiting for the day they can have access to a stable electricity supply. Behind these statistics lies the fact that many families still rely on water turbines, homemade generators, or small-scale solar power systems to meet their daily needs.
Xa Lung village, in Muong Ly commune, nestles beside the Ma River. The village has 67 households, all inhabited by the Mong ethnic group. As evening falls, the entire village is gradually enveloped in darkness. Along the riverside houses, only a few small lights emanate from water turbines or makeshift generators.
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Born and raised in Xa Lung, Mua Seo Sang, the village's Youth Union Secretary, understands the hardships faced by the local people. "There's not even electricity, let alone economic development," Sang shared. According to him, children's education in the village faces many obstacles. Many families only have weak lighting from flashlights or rechargeable lamps. When it gets dark, the conditions for children to study at home are very limited. Not only does the lack of electricity affect children's daily lives and studies, but it also restricts their access to information and the application of science and technology in production. People want to learn new knowledge, gain business experience, or update themselves on the outside world, but the conditions are still very limited.
Xa Lung is not the only village in the area; many other villages in Muong Ly and Trung Ly are in a similar situation. In Trung Thang village, Muong Ly commune, Mr. Giang A Kenh, Deputy Secretary of the village Party branch, said that his family had invested in a solar power system worth about 4 million VND to serve their daily needs. However, the electricity is only enough to power lighting and operate some essential appliances.
Meanwhile, in Ma Hac village, Trung Ly commune, 42 households with 226 people still do not have access to the national power grid. While mobile phone coverage has reached the village, it is not yet stable. Many families use smartphones and know how to use Zalo and Facebook to communicate with relatives and receive local information. However, access to digital utilities still depends on self-generated electricity and limited infrastructure.
According to Mr. Vi Van Hung, Chairman of the People's Committee of Muong Ly commune, many households in the villages of Xa Lung, Trung Thang, Trung Tien 1, and some other residential clusters still do not have access to electricity. These are all areas with limited infrastructure. Some residential areas are subject to resettlement and stabilization programs associated with relocation projects. "In the past, the local authorities have coordinated with relevant agencies to review actual needs, propose investment from higher levels, and integrate these efforts with resettlement plans to gradually resolve difficulties for the people," Mr. Hung said.
According to information from Thanh Hoa Power Company, bringing electricity to remote and rural areas still faces many obstacles due to complex terrain, scattered populations, and ongoing resettlement in some areas. However, with the coordination of relevant departments, agencies, and local authorities, the power sector has completed surveys and developed investment plans for areas without electricity, providing a basis for proposing to competent authorities for consideration and allocation of resources for implementation in the near future.
For the people of the villages of Xa Lung, Trung Thang, Ma Hac, and Tung, electricity is not just light in their homes, but also opens up opportunities for education, access to information, and economic development. Although the journey to bring electricity to these remote villages still has much work to be done, the people in the highlands hope that the plans being implemented will soon bring electricity to their communities.
Text and photos: Tang Thuy
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/mong-dien-ve-ban-292347.htm
