Disabled soldier goes up the mountain to bring domestic water to the village

Mr. Lo Van Huynh was born and raised in Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet, the only Thai ethnic hamlet in Nghia Dung commune.Tan Ky district. Previously, due to the high, arid terrain, without rivers, lakes, etc., during the hot season, people in the village would go up the mountain to find water for daily activities. Witnessing the hard life of the people in his hometown, Mr. Huynh always had a burning desire to be able to build a clean water project for the people.

A corner of Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet, Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district. Photo: XH

After years on the battlefield to protect the Fatherland, Mr. Huynh returned to his hometown with 28 wounds all over his body, one eye damaged, the other eye also had poor vision, and was certified as a 1/4 disabled veteran. The difficulty of traveling could not stop the will of Uncle Ho's soldier in finding water for his fellow countrymen.

Mr. Huynh recalls: “During the years on the battlefield, fighting in many mountainous terrains, after being demobilized, I also had the opportunity to visit neighboring districts such as Con Cuong, Tuong Duong... I learned about some self-flowing water systems of some households in neighboring communes. From there, I had the idea of ​​surveying and searching for water sources for the villagers. In 2015, I started going up the mountain to find water sources for the people...”.

War invalid Lo Van Huynh is the pioneer in finding a source of water for the Thai people in Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district. Photo: QA

After nearly a month of climbing passes and wading through streams, Mr. Huynh finally found a water source at Nai Mo stream, nearly 4 km from Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet. The water source here is cool, abundant, and flows all year round, meeting the criteria for serving the daily life of the people. After finding the water source, Mr. Huynh continued to explore and mark the route so that he could later design a water pipeline to his hometown. This process requires perseverance, meticulousness, and hard work.

The day I returned to the village to announce the good news that I had found a water source, I thought everyone would be happy and excited, but unexpectedly there were still many skeptical eyes, thinking that bringing water from the source to the house was unrealistic.

Self-flowing water tank at Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet. Photo: QA

“For decades, people in my hometown have been so used to carrying buckets and plastic cans up the mountain to fetch water that when they heard that there was still water at home, many people did not believe it. The whole village has hundreds of households but only a few households support this method. Although it is a bit disappointing, however, I understand that I have to make achievements to be able to change people's thinking, so I did not give up…”, Mr. Huynh shared.

At that time, to bring water to the village, there had to be funds to build a reservoir at the source, then buy a pipeline stretching nearly 4 km, crossing the hills, to the village's reservoir. Mr. Huynh called for and 57 households agreed to contribute 1.8 million VND/household to build the reservoirs and buy water pipes. In addition, the households also contributed working days to clear bushes, install pipes, etc.

After 14 days of implementation, the cool water from Nai Mo stream has crossed several kilometers, flowing into the village's reservoir, making many local people not believe it is true.

Water pipes to each household. Photo: XH

“When the water flowed in, people came out to bathe and play after decades of saving every drop of water, that image I will never forget… After seeing the effectiveness, the people in the village gradually believed in my idea, the number of households registering to install pipelines increased day by day, which made me very excited. From that time on, people in my hometown no longer had to worry about the lack of water for daily use, especially during the hot season,” Mr. Huynh recalled.

However, because the idea of ​​bringing water back was initially spontaneous, the construction of tanks and works was rudimentary, and the connecting pipes were not technically sound, after 6 years of use, the self-flowing water project in the hamlet had deteriorated and broken down. In 2021, Mr. Huynh continued to submit a petition to the authorities, the government could join hands to support the people here to build works and water tanks that ensure technical standards so that they can be used long-term by the people.

Understanding those difficulties, in 2022, with the support of the Steering Committee of the emulation movement "Skillful People's Mobilization" of Tan Ky district, Tan Ky District Youth Union coordinated with the Youth Union of the Traffic Police Department, Nghe An Provincial Police to call for and support the construction of the "Self-flowing water system" project for the local people. At the end of the mobilization period, more than 230 million VND was raised. Together with the support of the Steering Committee of the emulation movement "Skillful People's Mobilization" at the provincial and district levels and the contributions of the people, the total amount of donations and mobilization to build the project reached 850 million VND.

At the end of 2022, the self-flowing water project in Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet was inaugurated according to standards, and the people here have had a stable water source until today.

After decades, the Thai people in Nghia Dung commune, Tan Ky district now have water at their homes. Photo: QA

After fulfilling his wish to bring water to the villagers, Mr. Huynh returned to his daily work as a traditional medicine practitioner to treat people. Now, when people come to Dong Kho Dong Tho hamlet and mention Mr. Huynh, they all remember the wounded soldier who devoted himself to the villagers, overcoming difficulties to bring cool water to his fellow countrymen./.