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The hard work of digging wells in Nghe An

Huy Thu • August 24, 2024 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.

bna_1(2).jpg — This year the weather is not very favorable for the well digging profession, with erratic rain and sunshine, especially in July when heavy rains continued for a long time, forcing well digging teams to take frequent breaks. Some workers have switched to other jobs such as cutting glue, compacting the floor... 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

bna_2..jpg — 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

bna_3(1).jpg — In the past, people who dig wells in the province often went in groups, each group had at least 3 people (one digging soil, one shoveling soil, one pouring soil). Although the tools used for the job have been improved, using earth drills, earth winches, rotating shafts..., the job of 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

bna_7.-efd4bc4d70f30ad74d64bdacea3355a7.jpg — 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 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

bna_4..jpg — 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, each worker team can only dig 1-2 meters, 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 flat areas with soft soil is easy, but landslides are common, especially in riverside areas. Long periods of sunshine are favorable for digging open wells. Digging wells in the rain or with a lot of water will be quite difficult. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_5(1).jpg — 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 and 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

bna_6(1).jpg — 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 out in 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 requiring as much effort as the pulley type running the motor hanging horizontally above the well. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_8(1).jpg — 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

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, his team has dug 76 wells. "If we are dedicated, enthusiastic, and responsible, people will call on us," said Mr. Son. Photo: Huy Thu

bna_10..jpg — The current well digging teams are not only proficient in digging wells but can also drop culverts, build walls, install stones, install bricks... according to the well owner's requirements, to create complete wells that are safe and long-lasting. Photo: Huy Thu

Recently, the brick-built wells have been popular among people in many localities. The price of digging wells also depends on the type of well, the locality, and the 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-built well has a diameter of 2.2m, both digging and building 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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