Society

The hard work of digging wells in Nghe An

Huy Thu DNUM_CEZAIZCACE 06:44

In August, the sun is strong, but many people in Nghe An still have steady work by digging wells for a living. The work is hard and carries many risks, and the income from digging wells is often soaked in sweat and tears.

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This year the weather is not very favorable for the well digging profession, with erratic rain and sunshine, especially in July, heavy rains continued for a long time, causing well digging teams to have to take frequent breaks. Some workers have switched to other jobs such as cutting glue, compacting the house foundation... In August, the sun is strong, and those who still stick to the profession have regular work. In the photo: A well digging team in Do Luong is digging a well for a household in Thanh Tung commune (Thanh Chuong) Photo: Huy Thu
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Nowadays, the well digging profession does not have many opportunities to operate as strongly as before because people have many water sources to use, especially facing competition from the well drilling profession using modern drilling systems. Photo: Huy Thu
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In the past, people who dig wells in the province often went in groups, each group had at least 3 people (one digging, one shoveling, one pouring soil). Although the tools used for the job have been improved, using drills, winches, and rotating rods, etc., digging wells still requires hard and dangerous labor. Well digging groups and teams now often use social networks such as Facebook and Zalo to connect people who need to dig wells to find work. Photo: Huy Thu
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Localities in the province from the lowlands to the highlands all have well diggers. In Thinh Thanh commune (Yen Thanh), there are 6 groups of workers with dozens of people working in the well digging profession. The groups of workers usually operate in a certain area (1 to several districts), some groups of workers with prestige with customers work in all districts in the province. Photo: Huy Thu
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According to the workers, depending on the geology, size, and depth of the well, the workers dig quickly or slowly. The harder the soil, the smaller the well area, the more difficult it is to dig. In mountainous areas with hard soil, lots of gravel and rocks, each day with great effort, each worker team can only dig 1-2m, even some wells can only dig half a meter. However, digging wells in mountainous areas with hard soil is quite safe, and digging deep does not cause landslides. Digging wells in plains with soft soil is easy, but landslides are common, especially in riverside areas. Long periods of sunshine make digging open wells easier. Digging wells in the rain or when encountering a lot of water will be quite difficult. Photo: Huy Thu
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To pursue the profession of well digging, workers must have well digging skills, be proficient in using some necessary tools, have good health, be brave, adventurous... In addition, they need to be quick to deal with and handle situations when working in the well, at the bottom of the well... Photo: Huy Thu
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Some groups of workers have constantly innovated and improved labor tools for digging wells. Well diggers in Do Luong have invented a hand-cranked winch consisting of a vertical steel shaft and a winch extending into the middle of the well that can rotate around this shaft. When the motor is running, lifting the soil from the well and dumping it out is quite easy, without the effort of a pulley running a motor hanging horizontally above the well. Photo: Huy Thu
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Well diggers working at the bottom of wells are at risk of many dangers such as landslides, well collapses, electric shocks, etc. When detecting landslides or "frog jaw collapses", workers must urgently find a way to deal with them, depending on how deep or shallow the well has been dug, deciding to continue digging, stop digging, drop culverts, install bricks, etc. Recently, in the process of digging and dredging wells, in some localities, well collapses and landslides have occurred, causing tragic accidents. Photo: Huy Thu
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Mr. Hoang Xuan Son (41 years old), a long-time well digger in Giang Son Dong commune (Do Luong) said: His well digging team works all year round. In the past few days, he just finished digging a well in Tan Ky district and before he could rest, he had to go dig for a household in Thanh Tung commune (Thanh Chuong). In the next few days, he will dig for a family in Thuong Tan Loc commune (Nam Dan). According to Mr. Son, since the beginning of the year, his team has dug nearly 40 wells. In a year of digging a lot, his team has dug 76 wells. "If we are dedicated, enthusiastic, and responsible, people will keep calling us" - Mr. Son said. Photo: Huy Thu
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The current well digging teams are not only proficient in digging wells but can also drop culverts, build walls, assemble stones, assemble bricks... according to the well owner's requirements, to create complete wells that are safe and long-lasting. Photo: Huy Thu
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Recently, the type of well with bricks has been favored by people in many localities. The price of digging wells also depends on the type of well, each locality, each group of workers: a 1.6m diameter earthen well costs 1 million VND/meter deep; 1.8m costs 1.3 million VND/meter deep; 2m costs 1.5 million VND/meter deep. A brick well has a diameter of 2.2m, both digging and assembling costs 2.5 million VND/meter deep.... The income from digging wells may be higher than some other manual labor jobs, but well diggers face countless dangers. Photo: Huy Thu
Digging a well in Thanh Tung commune (Thanh Chuong). Video: Huy Thu

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The hard work of digging wells in Nghe An
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