Thanh Mien preserves the 'green lungs'

1 commune has more than 500 ponds

Chi Lang Nam land is famous for the eco-tourism area of ​​​​Co Island. The peaceful countryside is harmonized by the large An Duong lake of Co Island, making the natural landscape more open, airy, and full of the Northern countryside. Not only that, Chi Lang Nam commune also has the most ponds in the district, with more than 500 ponds, total area of ​​​​about 46 hectares, accounting for more than half of the total ponds in the district, making the air here fresher.

Most of the ponds in Chi Lang Nam commune are attached to residential land, so they are assigned to households to manage and raise fish, while the remaining communal ponds are managed by the commune. “In 2019, when building an advanced new rural area, the people joined hands to support, so the locality renovated a pond in Trieu Duong village, 300 m wide.²"Building a swimming pond. People are very supportive of this work. The pond is always kept clean, both regulating the air and providing a place for children to swim freely in the summer," said Mr. Nguyen Van Nhuong, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee.

The swimming pond that Mr. Nhuong introduced is also a highlight of this locality in preserving and protecting the pond system. With a budget of about 1.6 billion VND, this pond was built with a surrounding embankment, dredged mud and poured yellow sand underneath. Surrounding it are stainless steel fences, paths, stone benches and gym equipment. This place is both a place for people to exercise and relax, and every summer it is very lively because hundreds of children come to swim.

Mr. Vu Duc Kha, who lives across the street and is directly responsible for keeping the swimming pond clean, shared: “In the summer, around 4 pm, children in the commune and many neighboring communes such as Chi Lang Bac, Dien Hong, Thanh Giang flock here to swim. I regularly collect trash and periodically add chlorine to treat and filter the water. At around 6-7 pm, I call all the children up. The swimming pond has rules so safety is always guaranteed.”

The above swimming pond is also where children in the commune learn to swim, under the guidance of a teacher at the primary school. Thanks to that, the rate of students who know how to swim in Chi Lang Nam commune is quite high, reaching about 80%.

“Currently, all households have wastewater treatment systems, so there is no longer a situation of discharging wastewater directly into ponds like before, so local ponds are kept clean and unpolluted. The pond system plays an important role in creating landscapes, serving irrigation, draining rainwater, and making the living space of Chi Lang Nam people more airy and fresh,” added Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee Nguyen Van Nhuong.

Preserving "Uncle Ho's Fish Pond"

Next to Chi Lang Nam commune, Ngu Hung is also a typical locality in protecting and preserving village ponds. On the main road into the commune, located right in the cultural area of ​​the commune, "Uncle Ho's Fish Pond" located in La Ngoai village, with an area of ​​over 3,600 hectares, is the largest pond in this locality. Like many other localities in the country, the name "Uncle Ho's Fish Pond" comes from the movement of the same name launched by the Secretariat nearly 50 years ago.

From the movement launched for economic purposes, “Uncle Ho’s Fish Pond” in Ngu Hung commune is now a place for people to play and relax. Located next to the commune’s Cultural Center, the pond is surrounded by embankments, has a system of stone benches and lighting, and every day this fish pond “witnesses” people leisurely exercising around it, and in the summer, children eagerly come to swim.

Mr. Pham Ngoc Hoi, Vice Chairman of the Commune People's Committee said: "In addition to being a place associated with the historical value of the locality, preserved and passed down to future generations, the pond is now supported by the people to organize swimming competitions and is a cool bathing place for young people. Normally, the pond breeds naturally, and near summer, we will let the fish catch to make a free swimming pond for the people."

Realizing the importance of preserving the pond system, all 5 villages in Ngu Hung have now converted natural ponds into swimming ponds, both to serve the people and to maintain the original state of the ponds.

More than 1,000 ponds are not filled

According to statistics from the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Thanh Mien district, based on Decision No. 1876/QD-UBND dated July 1, 2022 of the People's Committee of Hai Duong province approving the list of ponds, lakes, and lagoons that cannot be filled in the province, of which Thanh Mien district was approved for 1,050 ponds that cannot be filled.

After the Provincial People's Committee approved the above list, on July 12, 2022, the Thanh Mien District People's Committee also issued a document directing the People's Committees of communes and towns to strengthen land management, including the requirement to effectively carry out propaganda work on the importance of lakes, ponds, and lagoons and publicize the list of lakes, ponds, and lagoons that are not allowed to be filled in the area to each village and residential area; promptly detect, prevent, and resolutely handle violations, develop plans to clear violations, regularly inspect, and prevent encroachment from occurring.

The People's Committees of communes and towns have made announcements on the commune's public address system and sent them to departments, unions, socio-political organizations, party cell secretaries, and village chiefs about strictly prohibiting all households and individuals from encroaching on ponds, lakes, and marshes that have not been leveled and are on the approved list.

Up to now, most localities in Thanh Mien district have done well in the above work. The preservation and protection of swimming ponds is associated with the movement of building new rural areas in the locality. The ponds are preserved and renovated hygienically, many places have developed into swimming pond models that are very supported by the people. Thereby helping Thanh Mien to aim to become one of the national and provincial tourist destinations for ecological, cultural and historical tourism.