Dong Thap Muoi people waiting for flood

SGGPO September 8, 2023 17:58

Every year, from the 7th to the 10th lunar month, floodwaters from the upper Mekong River flood the fields downstream. This year, at the end of the 7th lunar month, the floodwaters in the fields are only knee-high. Farmers in many places in the Mekong Delta are waiting for the flood to come to earn a living.

Seeing the flood coming, Mr. Nam (Tan Hung district, Long An ) rowed his boat across the fields, spread his net, and caught fish and shrimp to improve his family's meals. Every 4 hours, he checked his net once, but only caught a few shrimps and small perch. "Every year, when the flood is big, we catch a lot of fish and shrimp, not only to eat but also to sell to traders. This year, the flood is small, the harvest is bad...", Mr. Nam said sadly.

Like Mr. Nam, for the past month, many other farmers in Tan Hung district (Long An) have also repaired nets, prepared weapons... to wait for a bumper flood season, but so far it is still just hope!

Dù nước lũ về rất thấp nhưng người dân đã bắt đầu đi kéo lưới và hái rau ảnh 1

Although the flood water is very low, people have started to pull nets and pick vegetables.

Lũ thấp, sản vật rất ít chỉ đủ phục vụ bữa ăn gia đình ảnh 2

Low flood, very little produce, just enough for family meals

Taking advantage of the time when their husbands and children are setting nets, many women in the Thap Muoi region ( Dong Thap ) row boats to pull water mimosa, cut water spinach, and pick sesbania flowers...

Following Provincial Road 831, we arrived at Vinh Hung District (Long An), around the flooded fields, there were a few farmers rowing boats and pulling nets. Many families used nets as dykes to graze their ducklings so that they could find their own food in the fields, saving them the trouble of caring for them.

Không chỉ hái rau, chị em phụ nữ cũng tranh thủ kéo lưới ảnh 3

Not only picking vegetables, women also take the opportunity to pull nets.

Struggling to remove trash and patch the tear in the wet net, Mr. Hai Nga (Lo Gach hamlet, Vinh Tri commune, Vinh Hung district) said he had been pulling the net all morning but only caught a few small fish and eels.

Drying and repairing nets

Mr. Hai Nga said that in previous years, at this time, in the flooded fields, his children and grandchildren had to help remove the nets to bring fresh fish and shrimp to the market to sell. Not only seafood, but also purple lotus flowers bloom in one area, and bright yellow sesban flowers bloom in one corner of the river. The floods have been late for the past two years. "I don't know if the floods will come again...", Mr. Hai Nga worried about another flood season with a failed harvest.

Mr. Dao Hoang Nam, Vice Chairman of Vinh Tri Commune People's Committee, said that this year may be a leap year, so the floodwaters have not yet returned. Currently, the quantity of fish and shrimp is very low, people have spread nets and set up many traps but have not been able to catch much. The locality also hopes that the flood season will come to help people earn a living and have more income.