'Xiangyang Otter, where are you?'
(Baonghean.vn) - That was the cry of the people of Xieng Huong (Tuong Duong district, Nghe An) while searching for the body of Vi Van May under the Nam Non river. In this riverside village, no one thought that a healthy man, known as an "otter" with his swimming skills, would die in such a tragic way.
Sudden death
More than 3 weeks after the death of Vi Van May (34 years old), the atmosphere of mourning still covers Xieng Huong village (Xa Luong commune, Tuong Duong). Since her husband passed away, Luong Thi Panh (25 years old) has been absent-minded all day, sitting pensively on the porch, looking out at the Nam Non hydroelectric dam. “I never expected to become a widow. In just a moment, I felt like I lost everything,” Panh said.
Like many other households in this riverside fishing village, the May brothers have been familiar with the river since childhood. May can dive for more than 2 minutes under the river, and with his swimming skills, he is often called “otter”. His family has only a few fields, and his family’s main income is mainly from fishing in the river. However, since the construction of a series of Nam Non hydropower plants, the fish have gradually decreased.
A few years ago, May got married and her parents built her a tube house right next to it. The house of May and her father is located right at the foot of the Nam Non hydroelectric dam. One day at the end of August 2018, the hydroelectric dam suddenly released floodwaters, causing most of the house of May's father, Mr. Vi Xuan Ha, who lived nearby, to drift into the river. The whole family had to set up a tent and temporarily live in a lucky corner that was left. "They released floodwaters and swept away our house and more than 10 other houses, but there was no action. On Tet holiday, we planned to drag our whole family to the hydroelectric dam to celebrate New Year's Eve because the house was gone," Mr. Vi Xuan Ha said indignantly.
Like many households whose houses were swept away during this flood, Mr. Ha repeatedly submitted petitions, asking the hydropower plant to compensate and relocate them to a safe place. However, nearly a year later, before they could move to their new home, Mr. Hai’s family suffered another loss, also caused by the hydropower plant’s flood. “That was murder. I was standing there witnessing the whole thing,” Mr. Ha said.