A road in the Bac Lieu Bird Sanctuary is cleaned and grass cut to minimise forest fire risks (Photo: VNA) In Kien Giang province, more than 41,200ha of forests are under threat because of extreme hot weather and the drying out of water sources in forests, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development,
Truong Thanh Hao, deputy director of the department, said the forest fire risks are between the third and fifth levels, the latter being the highest.
The forests facing the highest risk level are in Phu Quoc city and Kien Hai district, he said.
The Forest Protection Sub-department, in cooperation with localities and forest managers, has regularly organised advocacy activities for forest fire prevention and persuaded nearly 1,000 households living near forests to sign commitments to combat fires.
It has established more than 170 grassroots fire prevention groups with more than 1,500 members comprising rangers, forest managers and others.
In Ca Mau, the country’s southernmost province, more than 33,000ha of forests are under threat, with 18,200ha designated level five.
Le Van Hai, head of the province’s Forest Protection Sub-department, said Hon Khoai islands and U Minh district face the highest risk of fires.
The province has assigned more than 500 forest rangers and managers, employees of the U Minh Ha Forestry One Member Co., Ltd and the U Minh Ha National Park to monitor forests around the clock and take prompt measures in case of fires.
It has also got more than 5,000 local people to stand by for helping combat forest fires.
An Giang province has identified nearly 7,370ha of forests, or more than 43% of the total, as facing high risk of fires. They locate mostly in the mountainous districts of Tinh Bien and Tri Ton and Chau Doc city.
The mountainous localities have many pagodas and temples, and in what is the peak pilgrimage time people often burn incense and votive paper offerings which poses a fire risk.
The province has stepped up advocacy among pilgrims about the risk of forest fires whenever they burn anything.
Truong Minh Hung, deputy head of the province’s Forest Protection Sub-department, said his agency has instructed its staff to monitor forest fires at certain important places.
Besides, authorities in the delta, which comprises 12 provinces and Can Tho city, have prepared more firefighting facilities and stored water.
Phan Thi Truc Giang, head of Soc Trang province’s Forest Protection Sub-department, said it is important to dredge canals in forests to store water and facilitate waterway travel to combat fires.
The province has more than 10,200ha of forests, mostly cajuput, but has managed to keep them safe from fires for many years.
Kien Giang has created hundreds of kilometres of firebreaks, built or upgraded 25 dams and six sluices and installed 47 water containers in important forests facing high risks.
It has cleared forests of flammable materials, dredged water reservoirs in forests to increase their capacity, pumped water into cajuput forests, built 35 watchtowers, and drilled 80 borewells.
There have been four forest fires in Phu Quoc island this dry season, which damaged 3.4ha of forests./.
VNA
