Suffocating from smoke as farmers burn straw right in the fields

Clip: Van Truong

Every day, around 2-3 PM, residents of Yen Thanh town, Yen Thanh district, burn straw in the fields, filling the air with smoke and dust. Photo: Van Truong

People burned straw en masse in the fields all night. Photo: Van Truong

People riding motorbikes and bicycles are suffocated by the smoke and dust from burning straw that blankets the entire road in Tang Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district. Photo: Van Truong

Straw fires blazed fiercely throughout the night across the fields of Yen Thanh. Photo: Van Truong

Smoke and dust from burning straw in the fields are encroaching on houses in Nam Thanh commune (Yen Thanh district), affecting health, especially the elderly, children, and those with a history of respiratory illnesses. Photo: Van Truong

Many farmers in Yen Thanh believe that burning rice straw offers several advantages, such as saving the effort of clearing straw from the fields after harvest and eliminating pest infestations. However, burning rice straw directly in the fields is causing serious pollution. Photo: Van Truong

Mr. Le Van Hong, Head of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department of Yen Thanh district, added: The district has instructed communes to advise farmers not to burn straw in the fields, as this causes pollution. Instead, they should collect straw to make organic fertilizer or sell it to livestock farms to improve their income. Photo: Van Truong

In Dien Chau district, many communes burn rice straw after harvest, causing environmental pollution. Dien Chau district is focusing on educating people not to burn rice straw in the fields, but instead to use machines to crush the straw into mud after harvesting, and to apply about 15 kg of lime per sao (approximately 1000 square meters) to help the straw decompose quickly and create nutrients in the soil. (Photo: Van Truong)

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