Le Bac people are waiting for the new bridge.

Carrying children to school through flood

Parents in Le Bac village take their children to school during the flood season. Photo: NQ

In sunny weather, people in Le Bac village travel on concrete roads, but in the rainy season, water from upstream flows in large volumes, causing the road connecting the oasis in the middle of the Thu Bon River to be deeply flooded, and the rushing water isolates hundreds of households in this village.

The water level is less than 0.5m deep across the concrete road, so people have to wade to the other side, but when the water level is more than 1m, they have to use a small boat to get to the mainland. This same river branch has taken many lives of the people of Le Bac village every time the rain and wind come.

Students go to school by small boats. Photo: NQ

Mr. Ho Dien (50 years old, group 1, Le Bac village) said that from August to November of the lunar calendar every year, if the rainfall is over 150mm, the houses of the villagers are flooded from 1-1.5m deep. In 2024, heavy rain combined with rising river water, the villagers suffered 3 floods.

During the rainy season, it is very difficult for villagers to travel to the mainland, especially for women going to the market and students going to school early. To cross the river, they have to rely on ferries. At around 6:30 a.m., the small ferries are already packed with people crossing the river, so many people are late for the market and school.

“To keep my children safe when going to school, during the rainy season I carry them across the river on my back, or take them on a small boat to bring rice and fish sauce to the village to leave them at a boarding house and wait for the water to recede before I dare to go home.

"It is quite difficult for students in the village to go to school and get an education. Many times when I see my children coming home from school, I think they have gone to work in the fields because their clothes are covered in mud and their books are soaked with water. It is heartbreaking to think about it," Mr. Dien shared.

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuong - Head of Le Bac village said that Le Bac village has about 300 households with more than 1,500 people, people's lives mainly depend on agricultural production and animal husbandry.

During the rainy season, people have difficulty traveling because water flows down the creek. The commune government has invested in a small canoe to transport people and students have a hard time getting to school.

People were happy to hear the news of the bridge being built.

During the rainy season, the road connecting Le Bac village is deeply flooded. Photo: NQ

For decades, the people of Le Bac village have been waiting for the authorities at all levels to soon invest in building a bridge across the village to make travel more convenient. Because when the bridge is completed, the travel and transportation of goods for the villagers will be safe, fast and contribute to the local economic development.

Mr. Dien was happy to hear the news of the construction of Le Bac bridge. Photo: NQ

Mr. Nguyen Xuan Phuong - Head of Le Bac village added that recently the Commune People's Committee measured the land and invited people to a meeting to agree on land compensation for about 15-16 households whose land was affected and they all responded enthusiastically.

As for the remaining state land, the commune will reclaim it before starting the bridge construction. “In 2024, when hearing the news that the Le Bac bridge project was about to start construction, the villagers were overjoyed,” Mr. Phuong said excitedly.

The location of the opening of the access road has been marked by the relevant authorities. Photo: NQ

It is known that in 2022, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province agreed to let the People's Committee of Duy Xuyen district build a bridge across Le Bac village, Duy Chau commune. The estimated cost of building this bridge is about 45 billion VND.

Flood shelters for Le Bac residents are solidly built. Photo: NQ

Mr. Nguyen The Duc - Vice Chairman of Duy Xuyen District People's Committee informed that the Le Bac bridge project was approved with a total investment of 84 billion 300 million VND, of which the provincial budget supports 70% and the district budget 30%.

The bridge connects Duy Xuyen district and Dien Ban district, connecting with Dai Loc district via Van Ly bridge (Dien Ban). Construction started on December 2, 2024 and is expected to be completed in December 2025.

The bridge has the following scale and technical standards: Reinforced concrete and prestressed reinforced concrete, bridge width: 8.0 m + 2x0.5 m = 9.0 m, bridge length 309 m, approach roads at both ends of the bridge over 350 m, asphalt concrete, bridge location is close to the headquarters of the People's Council - People's Committee of Duy Chau commune - Duy Xuyen district.

“This is one of the key projects to welcome the Duy Xuyen District Party Congress for the 2025-2030 term. It is an urgent project and the wish of many generations of people in Duy Chau commune and neighboring localities.

When the project is completed and put into use, it will eliminate the need for ferry trips, contributing to limiting damage to people and property, especially during the rainy season.

In particular, this is a traffic project along with the Van Ly - Dien Ban bridge project, Giao Thuy Duy Xuyen - Dai Loc bridge, not only connecting traffic conveniently between Nong Son, Duy Xuyen, Dien Ban, Dai Loc districts but also connecting traffic with Da Nang city, contributing significantly to promoting the socio-economic development of Duy Xuyen district and neighboring districts in the coming time" - Mr. Duc shared.

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nguoi-dan-le-bac-ngong-doi-cau-moi-3145582.html