Heavy rains have caused severe flooding in many rice fields in Thanh Chuong.

Due to the influence of the monsoon, Thanh Chuong district experienced a storm on the night of May 15th.rainThe prolonged drought has caused many areas of rice paddies in the lowland and mountainous communes of the district, which were about to be harvested, to be flattened and deeply submerged, affecting yield and making harvesting difficult.

Many rice fields in Thanh Chuong district, ready for harvest, are deeply submerged in water. Photo: Huy Thu

Mr. Nguyen Van Dan from Thanh Huong commune said: "The prolonged heavy rain has caused water to flood many rice fields in the commune because the water couldn't drain quickly enough, especially in the deep fields near rivers and canals."

Large rice paddies in Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong district) are deeply submerged in water. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Mr. Dinh Viet Nam, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thanh Lien commune (Thanh Chuong district), said: "According to preliminary statistics, nearly 20 hectares of rice fields in the entire commune were severely flooded, with the rice stalks submerged, concentrated in the wetland areas of Lien Truong, Lien Minh, and Lien Phuc hamlets. At the same time, more than 10 hectares of corn were also flattened. In addition, many areas of rice that farmers had already harvested and brought home were washed away into gardens due to localized flooding in residential areas, resulting in losses of up to several tons."

According to Mr. Nam, although they had previously urged farmers to harvest early with the motto "better to harvest while the rice is still green than to let it ripen too much," Mr. Nam added, "because the rice was not yet ripe enough to harvest, and the harvesting machines had not arrived in time."

Rice fields are submerged in water, and the water is receding slowly, posing a high risk of germination and rotting. Photo: Thanh Phuc

According to initial statistics, by the morning of May 16th, approximately 50 hectares of rice fields in the entire district were flooded, with damage ranging from 30-50%, mainly concentrated in the communes of Dai Dong, Thanh Ha, Thanh Mai, and Thanh Lien.

Mr. Tran Phi Hung, Head of the Agriculture Department of Thanh Chuong District, said: "Currently, we have formed teams to visit the fields and assess the damage in the localities. At the same time, we have directed the communes to mobilize irrigation teams to coordinate with farmers in the fields to dredge drainage ditches and remove embankments to drain water. However, the water is receding very slowly, and there is a high risk of rice grains falling off, germinating, and rotting. If it continues to rain, it will be very difficult to remedy the situation."

Rain caused serious landslides along 25 meters of concrete road passing through Hamlet 1, Thanh Duong Commune. Photo: Thanh Phuc

In particular, after heavy rain on the night of May 15th, 25 meters of concrete road in Thanh Duong commune completely collapsed, affecting the travel of dozens of households. Currently, the commune has erected barriers, put up warning signs, and stationed personnel to guide people away from the landslide area. It is understood that approximately 1 billion VND has been allocated for the redesign and reconstruction of this road to quickly address the subsidence and landslide and ensure traffic flow for the residents.

Heavy rains also caused a mahogany tree in Thanh Chuong town to be uprooted and fall onto a power line, damaging one pole.electricityThe tree tilted and fell on National Highway 46. Fortunately, the tree falling in the middle of the night did not cause any damage to people or vehicles.

This morning, local authorities are cutting down trees and restoring power lines.

Trees and utility poles have fallen in Thanh Chuong town. Photo: Huy Thu.

Also last night, amidst the thunderstorm,lightningThey killed two buffaloes belonging to Mr. Phan Ngọc Toản's family in Tổng Đội hamlet, Thanh Đức commune.

Mr. Toan said that during the heavy rain, two buffaloes (one pregnant mother and one young buffalo) were grazing in the field and were on their way home when they were struck and killed by lightning in the middle of the tea plantation.

Authorities in Thanh Chuong district are working to resolve the issue of a tree falling onto power lines. Photo: Huy Thu

"My family lost two buffaloes to lightning. Luckily, no one was out herding them during the thunderstorm; otherwise, a tragic event could have easily occurred," said Mr. Toan.

Mr. Toan's family's buffalo was struck and killed by lightning in the field. Photo: Huy Thu