From a bumper garden to a "empty-handed" scene
In Long Thanh commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province - where a 5,000m2 durian garden that once brought billions of dong in income each year to Mr. Vo Trung Tinh - is facing the risk of complete loss.
With 120 9-year-old durian trees, Mr. Tinh's garden used to be a dream model for many farmers. Mr. Tinh said that in previous years, his garden's durian output always reached 10 - 12 tons per year, bringing in an income of about 1 billion VND. However, this year, he is completely "empty-handed" when the crops are seriously depleted from February to March 2025.
Standing in front of his durian garden at this time, Mr. Tinh could not hide his grief: "Since 2024, when the expressway project pumped sand until now, my durian garden has not been able to harvest anything because the trees are contaminated with alum and sand mud. The trees will start to weaken severely from February to March 2025".
Mr. Tinh shared that despite regular care, the trees still withered, producing black and white fruits of such poor quality that they could not be consumed, and some of them even rot.
More importantly, the water in the garden is also contaminated with heavy metals and the pH cannot be measured, causing even the intercrops to not survive. Therefore, it was a completely "empty-handed" situation," said Mr. Tinh.
According to Mr. Tinh, the main cause of the tree exhaustion is that the expressway passing through the area has blocked the garden's natural drainage flow. Although the construction unit has taken measures to fix some drainage points, Mr. Tinh expressed concern that all efforts may be too late.
"The dead trees are almost all gone, infected with many things, the pH level does not increase. I don't know if I can save my life anymore," Mr. Tinh said in a row.
The government takes action, hoping for a conclusion soon
Speaking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Mr. Phan Van Be Ba - Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Thanh Commune, Phung Hiep District, Hau Giang Province - informed that the local government had received feedback and said that it had coordinated with the expressway construction unit to inspect and at the same time mobilized dredging and clearing the flow.
Regarding the issue of the cause of the exhaustion of durian gardens, the Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Long Thanh commune stated that accurately assessing the cause and extent of damage is a complicated issue, beyond the authority of the commune level. Therefore, the People's Committee of Long Thanh commune has sent a report to the People's Committee of the district, requesting the assignment of a specialized department to inspect, assess the damage and clearly identify the cause.
"The People's Committee of Long Thanh commune has proposed that the authorities speed up the inspection process, determine the level of damage and specific causes, to ensure the rights and stabilize the lives of people affected by the project," said Mr. Be Ba.
Mr. Be Ba also affirmed that this area was previously very suitable for developing fruit trees such as durian, jackfruit, and lemon and there had never been a phenomenon of alum infection.
