Ban Quang bridge across the stream

(Baonghean.vn) - For many years, students of Quang village, Chau Phong commune, Quy Chau, Nghe An have had to wade across Nam Cam stream to go to school. Worried, many people have had to quit their jobs to take their children to school. However, during the rainy season when floodwaters rise, both adults and children have to stay home.

The new school year has begun, and students in Quang village continue their journey across the stream to school. At around 5am, many students are waiting for each other to cross the Nam Cam stream to go home. Holding hands, they wade into the water, while their parents wade behind to watch. For the younger children, their parents have to carry or carry them across the stream.

Quang village is home to the Thai ethnic group in Chau Phong commune, Quy Chau, Nghe An. The village has 51 households with 423 people, separated from the commune center by Nam Cam stream. Currently, more than 70 students of the village have to wade across the stream to go to school in Tam village.

Especially during the rainy season, going to school is difficult and dangerous for students. “Sometimes, floodwaters inundate the rice fields on high ground, washing away the waterwheels, and our Quang village is isolated from the commune center and the outside world. The village is even divided into three separate areas by water. On days like that, students have to stay home from school or ask to stay at people's houses around the school to go to school,” said Lu Van Tuong, head of Quang village.

“Every day I have to take my child to school, in the morning I take him to class, in the afternoon I pick him up. I can only go to the farm for a bit and have to worry about coming back, I can’t do anything. But I can’t rest assured if I let him go to school by himself.”

Mr. Vi Van Lam, Secretary of Quang village Party Cell, confided: “A few years ago, a 9th grade student was swept away by floodwaters on his way to school, luckily someone rescued him in time. We really hope to have a bridge across the stream, so that the children can go to school with less difficulty and danger.”

It has become a habit that during the heavy rains and floods, the village police are sent to guard both sides of the stream, set up barriers, and prevent anyone from passing through, waiting for the water to recede. In the village, people have to buy food and provisions to store, because they can be isolated for several days. The village chief mobilizes young people to go into the forest to cut down trees to prepare for making rafts for transportation, and the water in the schoolhouse rises high enough to submerge houses. Livestock such as buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, and household items are also moved to the highest place in the village.

Students in Quang village still thirst for knowledge even though going to school is difficult.

Having a bridge across the stream has been a long-standing wish of the people of Quang village, not only to help students get to school safely, but also to improve the difficult traffic situation, making life, production and trade of the people here more convenient.

Up to now, Quang village still has no electricity, only 120m of concrete road, the rest is rocky slope. The rice growing area is small, with two crops grown each year, but the summer-autumn crop depends on whether it is washed away by floods or not. People focus on raising livestock: buffalo, goats, pigs, chickens, etc. "However, when traders come here, they always buy at lower prices than in other villages because of "high transportation costs", said Mr. Vi Van Khanh, a resident of Quang village.

Not only students but also people of Quang village have a hard time being separated by this stream.

"Last year, we saw someone come to measure the stream, but we have waited a long time and still haven't seen anyone come back to build the bridge," said Lu Van Tuong, head of Quang village.

Talking to Mr. Le Ha Ly, Chairman of Chau Phong Commune People's Committee, he said: "Quang village is separated from the commune center by Nam Cam stream, for many years students have had to wade through the stream to go to school, people's lives have also encountered many difficulties and obstacles. We have also proposed to superiors the wishes and desires of Quang village people about building a bridge across the stream. After that, the Ministry of Transport decided to invest in a suspension bridge for people, part of the Project 186 suspension bridges for people to ensure traffic safety in ethnic areas. The measurement and inspection work was carried out at the end of 2014. It is expected that this year the suspension bridge will start construction."

Ho Lai