Closing the journey of giving water tanks, connecting a new bridge span with the countryside

The journey of giving water tanks to people in drought-salt areas in the Mekong Delta, coordinated by Vietnam Agriculture News and Tan A Dai Thanh Group, has just ended to open a new bridge span with the countryside.

Heart for the river area

During the journey of giving water tanks to eight provinces affected by drought and salinity in the Mekong Delta, a total of 240 plastic water tanks with a capacity of 500 liters/tank were handed over to 240 households with warranty cards. Hundreds of thermos bottles were also given to the people as gifts.

At the places where the water tanks were handed over, through conversation, we felt that each household was in a different situation, but they all had one thing in common: the economy was very difficult. For example, in a few Khmer households in Xa Phien commune, Long My district (Hau Giang), or Vinh Hau commune, Hoa Binh district (Bac Lieu), people come to receive water tanks but do not have money to rent a car to take them home.

It can be seen that the program of giving water tanks was implemented at the right time and place. In terms of time, in the Mekong Delta, it is hot and humid at the end of May and then rains a lot in early June. Thanks to that, the people given a water tank used it to catch rainwater for immediate use. In terms of location, the agriculture sector chose disadvantaged households in communes affected by drought and salinity in recent years to give water tanks to.

Sincere things

The program started in mid-May 2023 and ended in mid-June 2023. A month has passed with so many emotions for the people implementing this program. As of now, it has been possible to summarize the program with the phrase "3 real", which are "real proposal, real work, and real people".

Regarding the real proposal, the reporters working for the Vietnam Agriculture newspaper suggested to the sponsor, Tan A Dai Thanh Group, to consider supporting the most essential equipment, a water tank, for people in drought-salt areas in the Mekong Delta. That is a real proposal coming from the sincerity of the reporters of Vietnam Agriculture News because they have the opportunity to work in rural areas, so they understand the difficulties in those areas. Since the Vietnam Agriculture News and Tan A Dai Thanh Group discussed implementing this program, they came to a decision in a very short time because the proposal is genuine and that is also the people's real need.

Regarding real work, when implementing this program, the most difficult stage is transporting water tanks from the factory to the place to give them to people on schedule. The water tanks were bulky, so they had to be transported by large trucks, while the rural roads were narrow, so the staff assigned had to stick to the area. Along with transporting the tank to the place as planned, the technicians also had to be present to guide people in assembling the valves and faucets for the water tank. These works are really hard for staff who stick to the areas to implement the program.

Regarding real people, when choosing a list of people with difficult circumstances and real needs to consider and give water tanks to, local staff were very careful. It can be said that there are many poor households in the commune, but it is difficult to choose households with a real need for water tanks to give them a water tank. The list of people who come to receive the water tank includes all households with real needs.

During the journey to eight provinces to give water tanks, representatives of the sponsors went directly to the locations to hand over the tanks, send warranty cards, and give gifts of thermos bottles to people.

Voice of heart from the program

Mr. Le Van Son, General Director of HUD Kien Giang Investment Construction JSC of Tan A Dai Thanh Group, shared that the gift of Tan A Dai Thanh Group, although still modest, has partly shown affection and concern for people in disadvantaged areas, helping them overcome difficulties. "Not stopping at this program, we have a plan to build a rural bridge for people in the Mekong Delta," he said.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Thang, Head of the Representative Office of Vietnam Agriculture News in the Mekong Delta region, expressed that the program received enthusiastic support and appreciation from the Departments of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Central Committees of eight provinces, and local leaders at all levels who handed over water tanks. Especially the sincere and touching reception of people in difficult circumstances who were chosen by the locality to give water tanks to.

According to Mr. Dang Ngoc Giao, Deputy Director of the Hau Giang Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, this program is very practical. The act of giving water tanks is a meaningful action, as water is a precious and necessary resource to meet people's daily needs. Thanks to water tanks, households not only reduce their difficulties in ensuring a clean water source but also make their lives more convenient in the context of increasingly complicated climate change and natural disasters.

Ms. Le Thi Cam Tu, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Long An Province, affirmed that the gift given by the program was meaningful for people in this region. In the past years, especially in 2020, the province's Fatherland Front Committee has called on benefactors to support nearly VND 10 billion to bring fresh water to the people. Recently, along with the efforts of local authorities, the support of benefactors has contributed to alleviating difficulties.

The program "Greening the West with Tan A Dai Thanh" has given 240 plastic water tanks to eight provinces in the Mekong Delta affected by drought and salinity, including Long An, Ben Tre, Vinh Long, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu, and Ca Mau. Each province is given 30 Dai Thanh Plasman HDPE plastic water tanks with a value of VND 2.5 million/tank, produced on an automatic line with blow molding monolithic casting, and thermos bottles. The total value of this program is more than VND 600 million.