The hard work of raking snails on the canal

Although the snail raking job is hard, people have a stable income.

It was late afternoon, when the tide began to recede, and people quietly followed the flood drainage canal in Phu Thuy ward ( Lam Dong province), which borders the Phu Hai river mouth. They brought along long nets, several large plastic basins, and calloused hands to start a day of earning a living by raking snails and shrimps on the red, muddy canal.

The sound of water mixed with the sound of the net scraping at the bottom of the canal sounds like a whisper telling the story of the hard-working people here. Under the dry afternoon sun, Mr. Le Van Kha (42 years old, living in Mui Ne ward, Lam Dong province) diligently pulls the net, his hands red from mud and sand. He shared that this profession has only emerged in the past few years, since the discovery of snails, small mollusks the size of a little finger drifting into the canal after each flood.

“The first day I saw some people trying to rake, and I was also interested in selling the snails. Now I’m used to it, and I rake from 2pm to almost 6pm every day. This job is very hard, I have to soak in the water for hours, and sometimes I accidentally step on sharp rocks or broken glass and bleed on my feet. But if I work hard, I can rake up to a hundred kilos each day and earn millions,” Kha said while serving snails.

To collect snails, shrimps, and mollusks, people here use a rake about 1.5m long, hold both ends with both hands, and pull back step by step to push mud and mollusks into the net. Each time they finish raking, they have to bend down to the water to clean the mud, sort it, and pour it into plastic tubs, then bring it to shore and pack it into large sacks. These mollusks are not used as food for people but are sold to traders for around 10,000 VND/kg, then transported to Cam Ranh, Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa province) to be processed into food additives for lobsters and giant tiger prawns.

However, snail rakers have to work in a risky environment. Flood channels often contain a lot of waste, sharp metals and disease-causing microorganisms. Snail rakers often suffer from dermatitis, even stepping on broken glass... Showing off her calloused hands and tanned skin, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lien (36 years old, living in Phu Thuy ward) shared: "Many people say this job is smelly, dirty and hard, but I think it's worth it. Having money coming in, being able to send two children to school, and having enough for the family to live on is enough to be happy."

As the sky began to darken, people’s faces were no longer clearly visible, and the snail rakers, after selling their products to traders, gradually left the canal to return home. Watching them pass by, one could only see their hunched backs, their clothes soaked and covered in mud, but their eyes still sparkled with hope - that as long as they had a job and an income, they would be able to support their families through many rainy and sunny seasons.

VICTORY

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/nhoc-nhan-nghe-cao-oc-tren-kenh-post802742.html