More than 8 mln USD given to fund forest fire control hinh anh 1People join effort to extinguish a forest fire (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has given 15 provinces and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 185 billion VND (8.3 million USD) to support forest fire prevention and control.

The beneficiary provinces are Yen Bai, Ca Mau, Thanh Hoa, Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Kien Giang, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Thai Nguyen, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Ninh Binh.

The funds will be disbursed through September 30, 2016.

The Ministry of Planning and Investment was told to determine how much money should be allocated for forest fire prevention and control projects in each locality and only distribute the funding when the projects met all requirements in accordance with current laws.

According to the National Centre for Hydro-meteorological Forecasting, Vietnam has suffered the brunt of severe impacts of the El Nino phenomenon, which could last until the end of the year.

The phenomenon has triggered prolonged hot spells and drought in central Vietnam, the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta, increasing the risk of forest fires.-VNA
VNA