Nighttime sleep pumping water
For about a week now, rising river water combined with heavy rain has caused many low-lying areas in Can Tho city such as My Huong, My Tu, My Phuoc communes... to be deeply flooded.
At noon on October 30, it was noted that on District Road 19 leading to the center of My Phuoc Commune, many sections were flooded up to half a wheel. On both sides of the road, people's houses were flooded more than knee-deep. No longer seeing the road, people have to use boats to get in and out. To prevent water, dozens of households urgently scraped the soil and put up bags, built temporary embankments to prevent overflow.
Ms. Huynh Thi My Quynh, a resident of My Phuoc commune, said that her family has had to pump water continuously for nearly a week. "Every day, we spend about 100,000 VND on oil. Stopping pumping is a waste of water. The kitchen is also flooded, so we have to raise it high to cook," said Ms. Quynh.
In addition, Mr. Huynh Van Le said that for many years this area has been affected by high tides, but in recent years, the water has risen and caused severe flooding like this year. His family had to build land to reinforce the embankment temporarily, but it was only a temporary solution. "Just 1-2 more heavy rains before the bank will break and water will flood into the house," he worried.
Many Dal inter-hamlet and inter-hamlet roads in My Huong commune (Can Tho city) are also deeply flooded, the road surface is no longer visible. People had to erect stakes and plant tree branches as seals to avoid getting lost or falling to the edge of the river.
Mr. Duong Van Quang, a resident of My Huong commune, said that there was also flooding last year but not as serious as this year. His family had to move their belongings up high, valuable items and electrical equipment were moved to the hamlet's community house to avoid damage. "Every day I have to pump water continuously, sometimes I wake up 3-4 am to pump until morning," Mr. Quang shared.
Mr. Tran Van Mung and the locality said that last year the water only rose to the hallway, so he raised the house foundation by 3 steps. However, this year the water is half-flooded, so his family has to " live with the water".
Rice flooded to the top
Not only has life been disrupted, but people's production and business have also been severely affected. At Mr. Tran Van Khanh's rice plantation (My Phuoc commune), although the house was built with a high foundation to store rice, the rising water combined with heavy rain caused water to flood in, watering more than 20 bags of rice. "Now I have to urgently move the remaining 100 bags of rice to another place, if it is late, it will continue to damage," said Mr. Khanh.
Many areas of Autumn-Winter rice in My Huong and My Phuoc communes were also heavily flooded. People are actively pumping water to save the fields, but in many places the water level is too high, unable to be pumped.
Mr. Huynh Van Le, a resident of My Phuoc commune, said that more than 2 hectares of rice in his family were deeply flooded. "Pumping water for several consecutive days, running out of more than 5 million VND in oil, now I have to pay, the water rises too fast and cannot be pumped in time. This crop is considered a total loss, the land rent and production costs cannot be recovered," he said sadly.
Students have to stay home from school due to flooding
At My Phuoc A Primary School (My Phuoc Commune), water flooded deep into the schoolyard, directly affecting teaching and learning. Mr. Nguyen Van Hao, Principal of the school, said that many parents are forced to take their children off school to ensure safety. Many households are worried about pumping water to prevent flooding, so they cannot take their children to class. On October 30 alone, about 100 students were absent from school. The school has asked for the opinion of the People's Committee of My Phuoc commune to let the school's students and a branch take a week off, wait for the water to recede and then return to normal school.
A representative of the Department of Economics, Culture and Social Affairs of My Phuoc commune said that it is estimated that the whole commune has about 50% - 60% of households affected by rising water and prolonged flooding. Currently, 2 schools have to temporarily suspend teaching to ensure safety and prevent epidemics during the flood season. When the water recedes, schools will clean, disinfect the classrooms and arrange make-up classes so as not to affect the program.
