"The man" who silently keeps the dike

The third storm has not yet arrived, the flood after the storm has not yet risen, the dikes along Kinh Thay River, Thai Binh River and some other rivers in Hai Duong are lush green. Especially on summer afternoons, the golden sunlight shines on the lush green grass on the dikes, the tall bamboo hedges rustle in the wind, the alluvial land along the river is also green with carrots, corn, potatoes... Under the river are billion-dollar fish cages filled with the hope of getting rich of farmers.

On the Kinh Thay River embankment in Nam Hung Commune (Nam Sach), there are herds of white horses leisurely grazing. These embankments are also where adults and children come every afternoon to jog, exercise or fly kites...

However, storm number 3 came, floods followed, the dike and bamboo groves were no longer green...

More than 20 days after storm No. 3 passed, 10 days after the historic flood, the water level of Thai Binh River and Kinh Thay River, which was at its highest level in 28 years, has receded, but the remaining scene on the once picturesque dikes is still tattered.

Many vegetable fields along the river were wiped out, leaving only straight, moist, newly deposited alluvial land. The grass on the dike outside the river was also less green because it had been soaked in flood water for so long. The green of the leaves was also covered with the yellow of dry soil and sand. In some places, the garbage that had been carried by the flood was stuck across the bamboo hedges.

The saddest thing is that the bamboo groves that used to block the waves are no longer as green as before. The storm with its strong winds has caused many bamboo branches to fall. In some bushes, only a few bamboo shoots remain amidst the mess of broken bamboo trunks. Some bamboo clumps have died because they have been submerged in flood water for so long.

Through historic storms and floods, the role of bamboo hedges along the dike is increasingly evident. The lush bamboo hedges were once the "heritage" of many generations of ancestors to protect the dike and keep the villages inside the dike safe during the rainy and flood season.

Over the years, authorities and people have worked together to protect the lush green bamboo groves. After storms and floods, the bamboo groves along the dike need to be cared for promptly so that they can recover quickly and continue to perform their duties well.

Houses with roofs blown off or walls collapsed by the storm have been repaired and rebuilt. Countless trees that were broken after the storm have been cleared. People in many flooded areas have returned to their daily lives and stable production... All levels, sectors, and people must also pay attention to caring for and restoring bamboo bushes that block waves, so that the "silent dike keepers" have enough strength to protect the dikes, villages, and streets.

This needs to be done today to cultivate bamboo bushes, so that we have more reliable support for future storm and flood seasons.