Highlanders squeeze water ladle by ladle on a hot day
(Baonghean.vn) - Every year, for about 4 months, people in Long Keo village, Muong Long commune (Ky Son - Nghe An) have to pour water from the mountain rocks to cook rice and make drinking water.
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| Long Keo village, Muong Long commune, Ky Son district has 74 households with over 300 people. There is always a shortage of water for daily activities for 4-5 months every year, starting from the first lunar month. |
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| People carrying cans of water home kilometers is a common sight on hot days. In the photo: Mr. Va Ba Tho, a resident of Long Keo village, and his wife go to the water tank about 3 kilometers from their house to carry water. He tries to collect as much water as possible in a plastic can, while his wife takes the opportunity to do the laundry. Mr. Tho said this has become a habit for many years now, when the dry season comes. |
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| According to Va Ba Tho, every year, before the Lunar New Year, the water sources near the village are exhausted. This situation can last until the beginning of the 5th lunar month. After that period, when there are showers, people can use water a little more comfortably. |
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| But Va Ba Tho is still lucky because he has a vehicle to transport water. Many households in the village do not have motorbikes and have to use baskets to find water sources near the village. |
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| To store water, Long Keo villagers use stones to build "reservoirs" like this one to prevent water loss. But in the dry season, the tanks have very little water left. |
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| It takes hundreds of small ladles like this to get a 20L can of water to cook rice, soup, or boil drinking water. |
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| And Ba Khu, a 24-year-old man in Long Keo village, said that many elderly people cannot go far to water sources, so not being able to bathe for months is normal for the people of Long Keo village. |
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| As for Mrs. Y Xi, 50 years old, she said that every day she has to go to the puddle near the village twice to pour each ladle, storing water for her family's daily use. "In the evening, many days I have to wait until 2 am to get water," Mrs. Y Xi said. |
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| Over the years, Long Keo villagers have repeatedly raised the issue of severe water shortages during hot days with authorities at all levels, but have yet to receive any response. Meanwhile, Muong Long commune authorities can only wait for projects from higher levels because this situation is beyond the locality's ability to resolve. |
| Long Keo - Muong Long villagers squeeze water from the rocky mountain. |
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| Muong Long Commune - Ky Son - Photo: Google maps |
