People rowing bamboo boats risk their lives to collect firewood in the flood water.
(Baonghean.vn) - These days, the Lam River water level is rising, bringing wood and firewood from upstream. Hoping to earn some extra income, people living along the river have risked their lives rowing bamboo boats to collect firewood in the whirlpool.
| Using a bamboo boat to collect firewood in the flood water. Clip: Huy Thu |
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| After storm No. 3, wood and firewood were swept away by the whirlpools in the deep pools of the Lam River. On this occasion, people in Thanh An and Thanh Chi communes, Thanh Chuong district, took the opportunity to go to the river to collect firewood. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Normally, Lam River only has water from upstream around September and October every year. But this year, the flood in mid-July is quite an unusual phenomenon. From 5am, people were present at the river wharves with long poles with hooks to collect firewood. Photo: Huy Thu |
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Teenagers in grades 8 and 9 also immersed themselves in floodwaters, collecting firewood with their families. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Because the firewood was drifting far away and the poles for retrieving it were short, many people waded into the river, even though the water was up to their necks, just to pull the firewood to shore. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Every time the Lam River is “rushed”, people here often stop all their work to collect firewood, sometimes all night. If there are many people in the house, some will collect and some will move, if there are few people in the house, especially if they go alone, it is quite difficult. |
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| Amidst heavy rain and strong currents, many elderly people still risk their lives rowing old bamboo boats, rushing towards the "target" to collect firewood from the floodwaters. Photo: Huy Thu |
 Many people salvaged large trees. However, it was very difficult to bring the floating trees to shore. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| A resident of Thanh Chi commune said: Every time we collect firewood from the flood, although it is hard and dangerous, we get a lot of firewood, enough to last the whole year. Some households can earn more than ten million dong by collecting firewood to sell. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Many large logs and firewood could not be brought ashore, so people had to use ropes to tie them to the river bank to prevent them from drifting away. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Mr. Nguyen Huu Thuan, head of hamlet 9, Thanh An commune, said: Every morning, his family can collect 5-7 cartloads of firewood. If they collect firewood continuously for several days, they can collect several carloads. Photo: Huy Thu |
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| Buffalo carts carrying firewood in the rain. Stormy days are the season for many families along the Lam River to collect flooded firewood. Photo: Huy Thu |