Charity
When a river runs dry
  • | dtinews.vn | March 10, 2010 12:12 PM

Rivers all over the central region of Vietnam are drying up and showing warning signs of a terrible drought season. A section of the Tra Khuc River that runs through Quang Ngai City is usually filled with water during its rainy season, but now the river bed is almost empty as a result of the early arrival of prolonged dry weather.

The river has essentially dried out and resembles a desert rather than its usual watered state. Tra Khuc 1 Bridge now spans over a large sand bank leaving its bridge piers exposed to their iron core.

Some rivulets have become stagnate along the river banks and are now a place for urban people to go fishing in their free time. The river was once known to be wild and ferocious, now it's just a small gentle winding stream that falls into a vast area of sand and plants.

In the middle of the river bed, some local people discovered that they can take full advantage of the alluvial soil to grow beans and flowers. The boats no longer float and are now stuck, looking very lonely on the river’s sand bank.

Ms. Phuong, a lady who sells drinks next to Tra Khuc 1 Bridge’s piers said, “This happens almost every year. The river dries up when the dry season comes. However, the dry season has come earlier than most years, leaving the river drier than in previous years.”

Here are some photographs of the empty Tra Khuc River, the part that runs through Quang Ngai City, taken by DTiNews.

Once a wild and raging river but now just a calm and mellow rivulet.
A man fishing right in the middle of the river bed.
The river has turned into a desert.
Alluvial soil is being used for cultivation by the local people.
Concrete layers of the bridge have worn out and are now exposed to their iron core.
Tra Khuc 1 Bridge is now spanning over a vast sand bank.

 













Leave your comment on this story