Prolonged drought, well diggers in Nghe An 'unable to finish work'
(Baonghean.vn) - With the prolonged heat, well digging offers many opportunities to make a living, but also many lurking dangers.
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| During the recent hot days, well diggers everywhere have been working tirelessly, some digging new wells, some deepening old ones... Each group of workers has been working hard all week. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Unlike well drillers who only need to bring in the machine to assemble and drill, well diggers have to dig deep into the ground themselves, so digging a well takes a lot of effort. A shallow well takes about 3-5 days to dig, a deep well takes 8-10 days, sometimes half a month. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Under the well, workers struggle with tools such as drills, hoes, crowbars, rakes... to dig the soil. The harder the soil, the smaller the area, the more difficult it is to dig, especially on hills and rocky soil. Soft soil that is easy to dig has the potential to collapse. Depending on the area of the well, soil quality, depth... each day, a worker can dig from 0.5 - 2m deep. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| The deeper they dig, the lower their productivity becomes. If it rains while digging a well or if they dig an old well, workers often have to struggle with the muddy soil, sometimes digging and drawing water at the same time, which takes a lot of effort. Photo: Huy Thu |
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When working in a well, there is usually only one main worker who does all the work, drilling, digging, shoveling soil, carrying rocks, etc. The main worker has a hard time because he has to work hard and is exposed to many dangers lurking inside and above the well. Many groups of workers have only one main worker, and there will be no one to take turns during the work process. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Nguyen Van Ty (35 years old), from Thanh Dong commune, Thanh Chuong district, said that he has been digging wells for 16 years. To pursue this profession, workers must have good health, perseverance, hard work and a bit of daring and courage. "There are wells that are up to 30m deep, dark and lacking air. If you are not daring, you cannot work at the bottom of the well," Mr. Ty shared. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Well diggers usually go in groups of 3 people (1 person digging, 1 person turning the pulley, 1 person pouring soil). Groups that still use human power to pull soil have a hard time, but if they can buy a winch, the well digging job will be faster and less difficult. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Nguyen Xuan Khoa (46 years old) - a professional well digger in Xuan Lam commune, Nam Dan district said: "This season, everywhere is dry, the demand for well digging is high, but our group can only meet the needs of a few households in the district. Well digging is hard, difficult, and has many potential risks and accidents such as injuries, electric shock, toxic gas suffocation, well collapse... but because of life, we still have to stick with the job". Photo: Huy Thu |
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| When digging wells, people often put down culverts to prevent erosion. Depending on the region, they put down culverts from the bottom to the mouth of the well, in some places only 5-7 culverts are put up above. A well digger not only knows how to dig but also has to be a culvert installer. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| After dropping the culvert, the well digger must sit inside the culvert to work. Many wells must be dug 4-5 times deeper than the length of the dropped culvert. Depending on the area, soil quality, new or old digging... the cost of digging a well ranges from 600,000 - 1,500,000 VND/m (depth). Photo: Huy Thu |
| The hard work of "making a living underground". Video: Huy Thu |
