Tu Ky farmers worry about losing the rươi crop

Because the river water is polluted?

These days, Mrs. Nguyen Thi Hien in An Ho village, Quang Trung commune (Tu Ky) is almost always present in the field outside the Thai Binh river dike, digging canals, sprinkling corn and crushed soybeans to create food for the worms. The field is full of holes in the worms, but Mrs. Hien's heart is still burning. "It looks normal, but this crop is likely to be a total loss," Mrs. Hien said sadly.

To prove it, Ms. Hien waded into the field, chose the place with the most earthworm holes, then used her hands to scoop up a piece of wet soil and break it into small pieces. She analyzed: "Look, there is not a single earthworm. This land is like every year, countless earthworms. The earthworm holes are so dense, but in fact, they are just traces of them surfacing and dying."

A woman who is a neighbor of Ms. Hien and has a field of rươi right next to her said: "My family and more than a dozen households that have rươi exploitation areas outside the dike in this commune are also facing the risk of losing everything. Previously, the river water in this area was black and smelly. The fields were soaked in dirty water for many days, causing dead rươi to float all over the fields."

The soil in Mrs. Hien’s field and the surrounding areas is mostly dark brown, with green algae in many places. When I put the soil up to my nose, I can smell a fishy smell. In the past, many times I visited this area, I saw that the soil in the field of the field of the earthworms ready for harvest was usually a yellowish brown mixed with scum and did not have the smell like it does now.

Director of Quang Trung Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative Nguyen Van Bang confirmed that the mass death of earthworms as reported by the people was true. He said that after storm No. 3, floodwaters rose high, causing flooding throughout the earthworm exploitation area outside the Thai Binh River dike. Because Quang Trung Commune is located at the end of the river, a large amount of alluvium accumulated, filling up about 40% of the earthworm holes. The soil in the earthworm exploitation area was soaked in water for many days, making it difficult for the earthworms to survive.

When asked if the cause of the death of the earthworms was due to polluted river water, Mr. Bang said: "The authorities have not yet had the test results so they cannot confirm, but it is possible. Because the earthworm exploitation area of ​​the commune outside the Thai Binh River dike is also affected by the water flowing from the Cau Xe River. After the flood, the water of this river seems to be polluted because green trees, fish... died and were swept away by the water."

Quang Trung commune has nearly 66 hectares for effective exploitation of rươi. In addition to the exploitation area outside the Thai Binh river dike that is at risk of being completely lost, this commune also has many fields exploiting rươi inside the dike. However, people here are still worried because the water in the canal system in the fields is also polluted after the recent storm. "Every year, we estimate to harvest about 100 kg of rươi per sao, but this year we dare not say anything in advance," said Mr. Bang.

Around this time every year, many households in An Thanh commune - one of the places with the largest area of ​​​​rươi exploitation in Hai Duong with about 257 hectares - are exploiting the first rươi of the season. This year is different, everything is still almost "frozen".

On her family's 4-acre field of earthworms outside the Thai Binh River dike, Ms. Pham Thi Thuy in Thanh Ky village is trying to clean the field, creating a development environment for earthworms after the impact of the recent historic flood. "About 30% of my family's area has no earthworm holes due to the large amount of alluvium. Digging the soil in many locations in the field shows that there are no adult earthworms, only young earthworms but the density is lower than every year," Ms. Thuy informed.

Mr. Pham Xuan Luan, Director of An Thanh Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative, said that after the recent storm and flood, the 137-hectare area of ​​​​rươi harvesting outside the Thai Binh River dike was completely flooded. The rươi fields were submerged in water for a long time, so the adult rươi may have died. About 120 hectares of rươi harvesting fields inside the dike are also in a similar situation, affected by water pollution caused by dead leaves and vegetation combined with hot weather causing toxic gas.

Mr. Luan commented: "According to my experience, the main harvest of this year's rươi will likely be pushed back to the 10th lunar month onwards. The rươi yield is estimated to decrease by at least 20-30% compared to last year."

Clean the fields to limit crop loss

Head of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Tu Ky district, Nguyen Anh Tuan, said that not only Quang Trung and An Thanh communes, but also the remaining communes in the district with areas for exploiting rươi such as Chi Minh, Tu Xuyen, Nguyen Giap, and Ha Thanh were affected by the flood. The area outside the dike was submerged in water for many days, causing adult rươi to die and a significant amount of alluvium to fill up a significant proportion of the rươi holes. The area in the fields and water sources were polluted by dead trees and rotten vegetation, which also threatened the growth and productivity of rươi this season. Currently, households are doing everything they can to salvage some of the losses.

Most households with areas of rươi exploitation in Tu Ky district have actively cleaned and cleared canals to drain stagnant water after floods. They regularly pump water into the fields to wash and clean the fields to help rươi have favorable conditions to grow and develop...

Quang Trung Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative continuously opens the sluice to take water from the river into the fields, making it easier for people to wash away polluted water in the fields. Many households grind corn and soybeans and sprinkle them on the fields to create food for the worms.

The Director of the An Thanh Commune Agricultural Service Cooperative recommends: "People need to thoroughly clean the fields before creating food for the worms. If the fields have not been cleaned, there are still residues of water suspected to be contaminated in the soil and corn and soybeans have been sprinkled on them, when these foods decompose, they will cause more toxic gases to arise. It is necessary to check carefully and only create food for fields where the worms are growing to avoid waste."