A single mother and her 16-year old son live in this dwelling made of galvanized iron roof and walls. Her 500 sq m farm provides 0.2 ton of paddy per cropping. She raises pigs and chickens, and plant tubers in her garden. These provide for their food requirement.
Gio My is prone to inundation during the rainy season, which affects this family 2-4 times/year. Depth of floodwaters is from 1-1.5 m. They move out to the sand dunes when floodwater level reaches 50 cm.
Before the floodwaters came in 1999, they received the warning issued by the village subcommittee from a loudspeaker. The mother elevated her paddy, and stayed put, until floodwaters came into her house at 9:00 pm. By that time, local authorities were already moving people, including the family. They stayed at the sand dunes for a week. Community members helped each other.
She lost all her assets, and since the flooding was worse than previous events, found the paddy that she raised soaked as well. For the next two months, neighbors helped by exchanging rice for her wet paddy, which they used as livestock feed, and provided food. She received seeds from government, and planted half of her plot to paddy, the other half with vegetables (cash crop) to tide her over. She also borrowed VND 2million (about USD 133) from the Vietnam Bank of Agriculture Development and bought piglets and chickens. She was thankful that these were at normal price, a sign that others did not take advantage of the flood victims’ situation. She completed paying off her debt in 2002.
As last year, she lost her summer-autumn paddy this year because of drought. She borrowed VND 1million from relatives to make ends meet (this time, she did not borrow from the bank as she was concerned that she might not be able to repay on time). She was also able to access the Women’s Union credit fund for VND 50,000 at very low interest.
When asked what she would do had she received a forecast of below normal rainfall for summer-autumn, she said that she could have planted mung bean, and realized an income. For her, farming is her life, and even when given a chance to live her life over again, she said that she would still choose to be a farmer.
Alone, but tough
Duong Thi Gai is 65 years old and living by herself in Hai Hoa Commune. She cultivates 1,000 sq m of paddy, just sufficient to provide for her one-year rice need. Prior to the 1999 flood, she lived in a small hut made of light materials at the river’s edge. She reared 6 heads of chicken and 2 pigs for income, to add to the VND 2,000 (USD 0.13) government monthly assistance, for her other basic needs. Inundation occurs every year, but her hut is elevated by about half a meter to keep the waters below.
In November 1999, she had just harvested and paid the farm inputs, when the rains came. At 7:00 pm of the third day of continuous rains, water was at her floor level. Knowing that more rains will flood her hut, she painstakingly loaded her paddy on a borrowed rowboat for moving to the commune hall, 500 meters away. She remembered coming back to load the remaining paddy, a blanket and other personal things. She doesn’t remember hearing the warning bells from the local authorities, but acted from experience.
The rushing waters carried away her hut, including her chickens and pigs. She stayed in the commune hall for 10 days, and lived with relatives. The People’s Committee provided bamboo, galvanized iron sheets for roofing and other materials for a new hut. The Youth Union and other commune associations helped in building her hut. A month after the flood, she was able to move in to her new hut.
Two months after, the Catholic Relief Services came with the People’s Committee, and offered to build her a house made of concrete. They required her to provide an elevated concrete flooring as counterpart contribution, for which she invested a total of 3 million VND, 1 million VND coming from her paddy sales and 2 million VND by borrowing from an informal lending source at 2% monthly interest, which she paid in 3 years. She is not qualified to borrow from the agricultural development bank because of her age and, during that time, the Women’s Union ran out of funds for lending.
Now, she’s confident that her house can withstand the yearly inundation and flood of the 1999 magnitude. She still tills her paddy, raises chickens, ducks and pigs, and pleased with the increase of government assistance to 52,000 VND (USD 3.5) monthly. She still lives alone, but her neighbor’s children come for company. When asked why she did not consider re-settling to a higher ground, she said that she did not have any choice, as the land was provided by the government. Her only worry is when she gets very old and unable to provide for herself.
A little man, with a big heart for his people
The Chairman of Hong Ha People’s Committee very well remembers the flood of 1999. He did not receive any warning of an impending flood since the communication system with the district or provincial committees for FSC was very poor. Personally, he was not expecting any flood either, even after more than 7 days continuous rains (the last flood episode in the commune was more than 15 years back).
When the waters came rushing down the rivers on that second day of November, the commune was flooded, and cut off from the outside world as the waters swept away the bridge that connect the commune to the rest of the province. He immediately convened the Commune Subcommittee for FSC. They did whatever they can to manage the situation.
On the third day of the flood, the commune ran out of food, and none was coming. With resolve, he set on foot to Hue City, more than 50 km away, braving the cold air, mud and rocks from the landslides, the strong river current (the bridge was swept away), and leeches, to get help. It took him one full day to reach the city, which at that time was still under water. He said that he knocked on the door of the house of the Chairman of the Provincial Committee, and refused to leave until help was arranged to be sent to Hong Ha. On 6th November, food was dropped by helicopter. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development sent 20 tons of rice, and the Army sent clothes.
Even now, he could not imagine that a man his size could do such a feat. And a feat it was indeed!
He thought that this flood would be the same as before...
A 50-year old man and head of family with 4 children, Mr. Duong Su is more well-off than his neighbors in Hai Hoa. His house, however, is located near the river, which makes him vulnerable to the yearly inundation and floodwaters that come rushing down the Hai Lao River. He tills 7,000 sqm of paddy, and rears chickens, pigs and ducks in his 600 sq m residential plot.
His house was previously made of wood and built at ground level. It collapsed twice - in 1979 and in 1985. He then re-built an elevated concrete house, with two overhangs - one at 1.5 m above the floor used as sleeping area when floods come, and another at 2.2 m above the floor for paddy storage.
Before the 1999 flood, his income came from his paddy with productivity at 0.6 tons/sq m/cropping, livestock of 4 pigs, 100 heads chickens and 100 heads ducks, a pump that he rents out and provides an income of VND 1.8 million a year, and from the monthly VND 500,000 contribution of his son who was working. Despite this, he had an outstanding bank loan of VND 3 million at 1.5% monthly interest.
He received the warning of the impending flood from the People’s Committee, but thought that the flood magnitude would be as the last event. He prepared his small rowboat, and put basic necessities. At 10:00 pm, when he saw the floodwaters rushing into his house, he and his family rowed to the commune hall, but found it crowded with evacuees. He then moved to his father in-law’s house, which was at a higher elevation and had a second floor, and stayed there for 5 days. He said that they received relief goods from the People’s Committee, as well as from a helicopter that dropped relief packages.
His house was partially damaged and, although still inundated, moved in since they had a sleeping area above the floor. He lost all his livestock, but the paddy was safe, as the flood level came to 20 cm just below the paddy storage. He received rehabilitation assistance from the People’s Committee in the form of galvanized iron sheets, 50 kg of rice, and VND 500,000. It took him 1 month to complete repair on his house.
Shortly thereafter, he borrowed VND 5 million from a bank, VND 100,000 from the Women’s Union, and VND 3 million from informal sources to invest in farm inputs and livestock. He said that after the flood, productivity of his farmland increased to 0.66 tons/sq m/cropping. Now, he has completed paying his loans from the Women’s Union and from informal sources.
He said that in the future, he would immediately act on warning issued by the People’s Committee. He is now more alert, and watches and listens to weather updates on TV and on radio.
