A post about herbicide use in a riverside village on the Thu Bồn River has drawn more than 3,100 reactions on Facebook, and Tuổi Trẻ visited the area on October 28 to see what it describes. The post, from a resident of Lệ Bắc village in Thu Bồn commune, asks neighbours to stop overusing weed-killer.
The resident writes that farmers spray at the start of the season and that, about two weeks later, women sow seed or plant chili on the same ground. The post cites roughly 200 hectares of farmland and nearly 500 boreholes used for irrigation, and worries that chemicals could reach soil and groundwater. It also notes that villagers send vegetables and chili to relatives in the city.
The paper's reporter saw patches of dried grass beside green areas and empty herbicide bottles left in some fields. Similar scenes appeared along National Route 14H through Thu Bồn and parts of National Route 1 in Da Nang.
One older farmer said he worries about health and the environment and wants authorities to act. A woman who farms about 0.17 hectares across the river said she sprays before planting because labour is scarce and hiring workers costs money; she said women wear raincoats and boots when sowing to limit contact.
Nguyễn Thế Đức, chairman of the Thu Bồn commune People's Committee, said the commune will educate residents and encourage them to use less herbicide that could harm the environment and soil.
The report does not mention any testing of local soil, water or produce, so the health concerns in the post remain unverified.
Sources
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