According to thedepartment, 19,000 of nearly 38,500 hectares of cajuput forest arefacing extremely high fire risk, while prolonged dry weather willdiminish the supply of water available for fire fighters to extinguishblazes.
To cope with the situation, the provincial People’sCommittee has requested the Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment cooperate with authorised bodies and local governments toencourage local households to protect forests and prevent fire duringthe drought season.
Ca Mau has also implemented a numberof precautionary programmes, including around-the-clock patrols, firedrills, and logistics planning.
The local U Minh Ha cajuputforest covers 75,000 hectares, including a valuable 8,000-hectareprimeval forest within the Vo Doi national forest.-VNA