Haunted by tragic deaths on the Dao River in Nghe An

Tragic deaths

Returning to Yen Thanh a few days after the tragic death of Nguyen Ba Quang Huy - 9 years old, son of Nguyen Ba Tinh and Thai Thi Lien, residing in Chua Thang hamlet, Lien Thanh commune (Yen Thanh).

Here, the local people are still in shock. Many people still ask why, when designing and building the concrete embankment, people did not foresee the dangers that could happen to people and animals if they fell, so that they could have safe solutions? And if there were a place to hold on, Huy would not have died. Who will be responsible for his tragic death?...

Both banks of the Dao River through Yen Thanh District are residential roads, with no protection system. Photo: Tien Dong

According to observations, along the Dao River, both sides of the slope are covered with talus and paved with concrete with a large slope. After a long time of use, the talus has grown green moss and is very slippery. There is only one landing and disembarking point every 600m, and the other pointslifesaverThere are almost none. Therefore, if you accidentally fall into the water, even if you know how to swim, it is very difficult to get out.

Mr. Thai Van Giang, hamlet 10 (Lien Thanh commune, Yen Thanh), indignantly said that almost every year on the Dao River, there are very sad cases due to people slipping on the slippery road and falling in, because there was nothing to hold on to, they died of exhaustion.

Mr. Nguyen Van Canh, also residing in Hamlet 10, Lien Thanh Commune, said, when will people install protection systems as well as life-saving points on the canal roof?

The scratches on the concrete roof of the Dao River show that Huy tried his best but still could not escape from the cold canal. The images shared on the media and social networks made many people feel even more heartbroken. Photo: Ba Nhuan

Mr. Pham Ngoc Tu, the village chief of Chua Thang village, led us to the section of the river where Huy had just drowned. Mr. Tu showed us the scratches when Huy tried to climb ashore and sighed, "If only there were chains or iron hooks in this section, he would not have died. It's so heartbreaking."

Mr. Tu also said that every year, people drown in this section of the river. People have proposed to install iron hooks to be able to hold onto the slope, but this has not been done. When asking some workers who are constructing the river embankment, they were told that it was not designed, and that they were just the construction unit so they did not know.

Mr. Tu said that it is necessary to install more iron hooks and life buoys along both sides of the river so that if anyone unfortunately falls in, they can still hold on. Photo: Tien Dong

Through discussion, the Chairman of the People's Committee of Tang Thanh and Lien Thanh communes both said that every year there are people drowning, even those who know how to swim. Building concrete river embankments to prevent landslides and water loss, helping the water flow faster, but it is necessary to have many steps up and down or railings, so that people and cattle can have a place to get up when falling. In addition, it is convenient to go up and down when cleaning garbage and dredging the canal.

Mr. Tran Van Hien - Vice Chairman of Do Luong District People's Committee said: In order to prevent drowning, the local government has recently directed organizations such as the Youth Union to install warning signs. However, at places with high traffic density, the boarding and alighting stations, it is recommended that the management unit install additional railings and life-saving equipment so that if someone accidentally drowns, they will be rescued promptly.

Need rescue solutions

Mr. Phan Van Long - Chairman of Yen Thanh Town People's Committee said: Dao Ba Ra Do Luong Canal passes through Yen Thanh Town with a length of nearly 1.5 km, passing through a number of residential areas, so the canal bank road is very crowded with people. Faced with the dangerous situation of the canal bank, local people and authorities have consulted Yen Thanh District, asking for 100 m of the project to build a washing station for people. The washing station is also a place for rescue and relief when someone accidentally falls into the river, they can conveniently swim to shore. However, along the entire 1.5 km of canal bank, there is only one washing station 3 meters long and 8 steps deep.

"Should the Dao Canal embankment project bethree out of dollar"We need to build more items such as anchoring and dropping buoys every 100 meters, so that in case of an accident, people can hold onto the buoys to get to shore safely" - Mr. Long suggested.

The rescue team had to propose a plan to close the water of the Dao River to search the entire riverbed for Huy's body. Images of the Dao River when it is dry show that the two concrete banks are very steep, covered with moss and slippery. Photo: Contributor

Mr. Nguyen Van Duong - Vice Chairman of Yen Thanh District People's Committee added: Before building the Ba Ra Do Luong irrigation canal project, the localities where this canal passes through have surveyed and submitted to the superiors the number of washing stations. Thereby, the Ba Ra Do Luong canal passing through Yen Thanh district for over 30 km has 43 washing stations built on both sides of the canal. To ensure safety, Yen Thanh district is continuing to have the communes review and propose that if it is necessary to build more washing stations, Yen Thanh district will submit to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for consideration.

It is known that the Restoration Project,Upgrading the Northern Nghe An irrigation systemapproved for investment by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Decision No. 1929/QD.BNN-TCTL dated August 14, 2012 with a total investment of over VND 5,705 billion, borrowing ODA capital from Japan (JICA). The Dao Ba Ra Do Luong canal embankment package alone is worth VND 700 billion, built from 2019, according to the contract ending in 2021. According to the design of the trapezoidal embankment, the canal length is 56 km, passing through 5 localities including Do Luong, Yen Thanh, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Hoang Mai. Up to this point, the project has completed over 70% of the progress.

Currently, both sides of the main canal are being repaired, however, the installation of additional life-saving equipment and the opening of additional boarding and disembarkation stations must be included in the design and approved by the authorities. Photo: Tien Dong

Discussing the current shortcomings, the representative of the Project Management Board of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said: Before constructing the Do Luong canal, people and localities had made recommendations to the project to build washing stations on the canal to serve the needs of the people. This project is implemented according to the design and supervision of Japan, every 500 meters there is a washing station, all bridge crossing points have washing stations, it is impossible to build washing stations with a higher density because it is related to the design and flow of the canal. As for the issue of building additional items to ensure the safety of people when traveling on this canal, it requires a huge amount of capital and must be approved by the Japanese side...

Dao River was built in 1930, connecting from Bara Do Luong to supply water to the fields in Yen Thanh, Dien Chau and Quynh Luu districts. This system has a total length of about 300 km from the main canal to the third-level canal. Of which, the main canal from Bara Do Luong to Quynh Thach commune (Quynh Luu) is 56 km long, along with sub-canal systems such as: N2 canal connecting from the main canal through Ly Thanh commune (Yen Thanh) to Dien Cat commune (Dien Chau), 19 km long; N8 canal is 12 km long, from Yen Thanh town to Dien Dong commune (Dien Chau); or N13 canal connecting Yen Ly area (Dien Chau) to irrigate Quynh Luu area...

Tien Dong - Van Truong