Watching the riverside after the flood

Anxious about the storm and flood season

The flood left the riverbank desolate and desolate. Traces of the flood were still visible in the form of muddy patches on tree trunks and rubbish strewn across the banks. Small boats were stranded, fish cages were torn apart, household belongings had not yet been rearranged, and the rickety anchors made the scene even more chaotic and filthy.

Desolate scene after the flood in Canh Tan fishing village, Thuong Tan Loc commune (Nam Dan). Photo: Cong Kien

On the boat, Mr. Ngo Van Dung (born in 1988) sat sadly, looking up at the deserted riverbank and then at the rushing water in the middle of the river. “Last night I worked all night but only caught a few small fish, this morning I went again but still had no results. Fish and shrimp are becoming increasingly rare, I don’t have a house to live in, I don’t know what the future holds for my children,” Mr. Dung shared.

The fisherman told about those daysrain and flood,Her voice and eyes were filled with fatigue and sadness. This year, there were continuous storms and floods. Sometimes, for a whole month, she did not dare to sleep at night for fear that the upstream hydroelectric power plants would release flood water, the water level would rise suddenly, and strong waves would break the anchor rope and sink the boat. Every time there was news of a storm or heavy rain for a long time, the whole family lived in anxiety and worry day and night.

The "stranded" boats are used to store belongings, in case they are swept away by floodwaters. Photo: Cong Kien

A fish cage lies abandoned on the riverbank, covered in trash. Photo: Cong Kien

In late October, the circulation of the stormstorm number 9causing heavy rain for several days in a row, the Lam River water rose very quickly, in one afternoon it flooded the main road above. With his wife carrying 3 small children to the village to evacuate, Mr. Dung hurriedly ran to the boat to bring some of the family's belongings to shore, at that time he seemed exhausted.

The water was flowing rapidly, the boat was anchored to a bamboo tree but the anchor rope was about to break several times, he tried with all his might to hold the anchor tight, determined to keep the boat. Because, it was a shelter, a place to avoid the rain and sun, if it was washed away, the family in difficult times, could not find tens of millions of dong to replace it.

Ngo Van Dung's family lives in a small, cramped boat. Photo: Cong Kien

Finally the water receded, Mr. Ngo Van Dung was able to keep his family's boat. But he was alone, not having time to anchor it, so the waves broke it, the frame drifted to the shore, all the fish were carried away by the flood. So, in a moment, the property worth more than 20 million VND was swept away, all the hard work, savings and hopes were gone.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tho (born in 1997), Mr. Dung's wife, just returned from the market, her face also showed sadness and worry. "There are few fish these days, I only sold a little over 100,000 VND, maybe enough for fuel, but not enough to cover the whole family's expenses," Ms. Tho said.

The three children (aged 5, 3 and 2) saw their mother coming back and immediately climbed over the net in front of the cabin, rushing to the bow of the boat, causing the boat to sway and rock as if it was about to capsize. Mr. Dung suddenly said: "You see, living on the river is always dangerous, every time I get out of the boat I am always worried about the children."

Living on a boat always faces danger and uncertainty, especially for children. Photo: Cong Kien

Anchored near Mr. Dung's boat is the boat of Mr. Ngo Cong Thang's family (born in 1987), as simple and cramped as the other boats on this river bank. Mr. Thang and his wife also have 3 children, the oldest is 11 years old, the youngest is only 4 years old, all of them have been drifting since they were in their mother's womb. Their source of income, food and daily expenses can only be found in fishing nets and nets.

At night, the husband sails the small motorboat up and down the river, casting nets, while the wife stays home to look after the children. In the morning, the wife brings fish to the market, on a lucky day she earns a few hundred thousand, on other days she earns less than a hundred, life is as precarious as a boat in the flood season. And like Mr. Dung, during the recent flood, Mr. Thang's wife and children evacuated to the village, while he alone stays on the riverbank to keep the boat.

Longing for a temporary home

Along with Mr. Dung and Mr. Thang, in Canh Tan fishing village, there are also a number of other households such as Mr. Ngo Cong Thanh, Mr. Ngo Cong Hung and Ms. Ngo Thi Loan who are also living on small boats. Their income is unstable, their life is difficult, lacking everything, from rice grains, vegetable stalks to cans of clean water, battery power sources must also go ashore.

The makeshift life on a small boat of Ngo Cong Thang's family. Photo: Cong Kien

Life is always fraught with danger, the danger of making a living on the river at night, the danger of the erratic rise and fall of the water. Whenever there is news of a storm approaching, these residents always “live in fear”, worrying day and night that their boat will break its mooring rope and be swept away by the flood.

Ifstorm making landfalleven more frightening, because human strength cannot hold it, the storm will blow the boat's roof off, it is very difficult to avoid the risk of sinking, people can evacuate in time but their little property will be swept away.

Mr. Ngo Cong Thang longs for a small garden to build a temporary roof. Photo: Cong Kien

Therefore, the burning desire of these residents is to have a small garden to build a temporary house as a place to come and go. The house, though temporary, will certainly be safer than on a boat on the riverbank, so that there will be no worries and dangers during stormy days.

Discussing this issue with Mr. Nguyen Van Quang - Vice Chairman of Thuong Tan Loc Commune People's Committee, we learned that Canh Tan fishing village during the subsidy period was Hong Lam Fishery Cooperative. When the Cooperative was dissolved, people continued to depend on the river to make a living, and life faced many difficulties and hardships.

Living on a boat, there are many shortages. Even for clean water, the people of Canh Tan fishing village have to go to the village to ask for it. Photo: Cong Kien

In 2007, implementing the policyresettlementFor fishing villages on Lam River, 22 households of Canh Tan hamlet were granted land to build houses and invested in building infrastructure systems, meeting the needs of life. With stable housing, the fishing villagers continue to stick together and make a living on the river, using small motorboats as a means of making a living, life is gradually improving.

But a few years later, some families had grown children, got married and then separated, while the land area was not much, so they had to move to the river. The above mentioned families are all in this situation, and are currently having a hard time finding a solution, because the project to arrange and build a residential area with special difficulties has been completed.

Earning a living on the river, the income of households in Canh Tan fishing village is always precarious. Photo: Cong Kien

"We have grasped the thoughts and aspirations of the households.fishing villageCanh Tan and report to superiors and propose to have written instructions, implement land allocation planning according to special pricing. Hopefully this issue will soon be studied and resolved in accordance with legal regulations, ensuring fairness and demonstrating humanity.

Mr. Nguyen Canh Loc - Chairman of People's Committee of Thuong Tan Loc Commune (Nam Dan)