Quang Tri: People downstream along Thach Han River urgently 'flood'

Within just 15 days, people living downstream along the banks of the Thach Han River in Quang Tri Province had to “run” from the flood twice. “Running” from the flood is a common expression used by locals to describe the urgency, hardship, and even danger of moving belongings and assets to higher ground to avoid flooding.

Many residential areas along the Thach Han River in Trieu Binh commune were deeply flooded.

Mutual aid in floods

Thach Han is one of the largest rivers and is located in the South of Quang Tri province. This river has a steep slope from West to East, with a large flow rate, so when there is heavy rain for a long time in the upstream, there will be large floods that rise very quickly. The most recent flood on Thach Han river rose to approximately level 3 alert on the night of November 3. On the afternoon of November 17, the flood on Thach Han river at Thach Han was 6.55m, above level 3 alert to 0.55m, causing widespread flooding of low-lying areas on both banks of this river. Currently, the water level on Thach Han river is rising slowly.

Bich Loc Trieu village, Ai Tu commune is located on the banks of Thach Han river. On the afternoon of November 17, when the flood water rose, the villagers informed and supported each other to evacuate their belongings, and brought the elderly and children to high places to avoid flooding. After moving all the household items to high places to avoid the flood, Mr. Le Ba Van rowed a boat to the house next door to help.

Mr. Van shared that the Thach Han River bank has low-lying terrain, so when there is a flood, the water rises quickly and causes deep inundation. Although there are floods every year, people are never subjective. Here, people have built pig and cow pens about 1.5m above ground level so that when there is a flood, they can move the livestock to higher ground to avoid being swept away by the flood. High floods often cause power outages, so people cannot update information about floods. At this time, healthy people in the village organize boat trips around the village to see which houses need help evacuating property, the elderly and children. Although "running" from the flood is hard and dangerous, it also shows the cohesion in the community and mutual support during natural disasters.

On the eastern bank of Dai Loc bridge over Thach Han river connecting Trieu Binh commune and Nam Dong Ha ward, it was submerged by floodwaters on the afternoon of November 17. Here, people built houses just a 5m wide road away from the Thach Han river bank. Local people mainly live by fishing on Thach Han river. When the flood rose on the afternoon of November 17, people helped tie up and reinforce boats to avoid being swept away by the flood.

Many houses in Ai Tu commune were deeply flooded.

Mr. Tran Tuyen, who lives next to Dai Loc bridge pier, Trieu Binh commune, shared that in every family, there is someone who watches the muddy water of Thach Han river rising. Whenever there is a big flood, almost the entire residential area does not sleep to prevent the flood water from rising higher than predicted, so that they can move their property and people to a safe place. Here, people are always ready to support each other in coping with floods. Any household with a solid 2-storey house is always ready to support households with a level 4 house that is deeply flooded, to stay and avoid the flood.

According to records, low-lying areas along both banks of the Thach Han River have been flooded from 0.5 - 1m, some places are deeper; concentrated in the communes of Ai Tu, Trieu Binh, Trieu Phong. In Quang Tri ward, the rising flood of the Thach Han River is causing flooding on many roads such as Ngo Thi Nham Street, Tran Phu Street, Nguyen Thi Ly Street, Vo Thi Sau urban area, etc. The flower wharf on the south bank of the Thach Han River and the pedestrian bridge on Ngo Quyen Street, Quang Tri ward have also been deeply flooded.

Faced with that situation, Quang Tri Ward Police proactively deployed many measures to prevent and combat floods, mobilized maximum forces to the area, promptly supported people to raise assets, move important items to safe locations; coordinated with functional forces to organize the evacuation of people in vulnerable areas; inspected roads, deep flooded areas, areas at risk of traffic insecurity to place warning signs, and guide people to avoid dangerous locations.

According to statistics, by 5:00 p.m. on November 17, thousands of households living in low-lying areas along the Thach Han River were flooded. Among them, Quang Tri ward had 971 flooded households; Trieu Phong commune had 45 flooded households; Ai Tu commune had 118 flooded households... In response to the rising flood on the Thach Han River, local authorities deployed many measures to support the evacuation of people and property; operate flood warning information; fence and warn of deep flooded areas; and arrange shock troops to support the evacuation of people.

Many roads in Ai Tu commune were deeply flooded.

According to Vice Chairman of Ai Tu Commune People's Committee Nguyen Duc Long, the commune has directed agencies and units to organize 24/24 hours on-duty; prepare plans to respond to floods according to the 4-on-the-spot principle; in addition, the government has sent forces to the villages to coordinate with local forces, keep watch, and develop plans to support people to ensure safety of people and property. Up to now, 11 households with 22 people in vulnerable areas have been evacuated to safe places.

Worry about late Tet

There are only about 3 months left until the Lunar New Year 2026. This is the peak time for people living along the lower Thach Han River basin to raise pigs, chickens and grow vegetables and fruits to serve the Tet market. The difficulty for this year's Tet crop is the prolonged rain, the flood on the river rising and causing flooding in the fields. Ms. Le Thi Ly, Ai Tu commune, said that to sell a batch of pigs and chickens, it takes 3-5 months to raise them, depending on the care. Roots and fruits also need at least 3 months to be harvested. In early November, the family prepared the land to grow vegetables and fruits to sell for the Tet market, but now it is flooded so it is not known when they will be able to plant.

Most of the thousands of households living downstream along the Thach Han River are engaged in agriculture with two rice crops a year, along with livestock and vegetable growing. Therefore, the protection and restoration of agricultural production after flooding is always a focus of the government and the people. Responding to the ongoing major floods on the Thach Han River, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Quang Tri Ward Nguyen Duc Quang requested units to proactively take measures to drain water to prevent flooding, protect production, business, urban areas, and residential areas. Instruct people on measures to protect agricultural production areas, crops, livestock, and aquaculture.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-de-quan-tam/quang-tri-nguoi-dan-o-ha-luu-ven-song-thach-han-khan-truong-chay-lu-20251117202714476.htm