HCM City (VNA) – Provinces in the Mekong Delta have stepped up efforts toprevent forest fires as the region is entering the highly risky dry season.

In thesouthernmost province of Ca Mau, many measures have been put in place,especially to protect the 8,500ha U Minh Ha National Park.

Water inthe higher parts of the park have been drying out since the beginning of thismonth and the threat of forest fire is high, according to the provincialDepartment of Agriculture and Rural Development.

HuynhMinh Nguyen, director of the park, said rangers have taken positions in watchtowers to monitor the park around the clock. 

They alsoregularly patrol the park to prevent people from entering to collect honey,hunt or fish, activities that could cause fires.

More than5,000 families living in the park’s buffer zone and cajeput forests have beenmobilised to help fight forest fires.

Thedepartment has called on private individuals managing forests to implementpreventive measures against fires.

Forestmanagement units should regularly assess the dryness to take properfire-prevention measures and teach local households how to prevent fires, itsaid.             
Thismonth the hot weather peaks in the south, according to the South Centre forHydrometeorology Forecasting.

In AnGiang province, districts with large forest areas including Tinh Bien and Tri Tonare in a state of preparedness to prevent fires, said Tran Phu Hoa, head of theprovince Forest Protection Sub-department., adding that Tinh Bien alone hasmore than 6,270ha of forests that face the risk of fires.

KienGiang province has seven areas that face fire risks, namely U Minh ThuongNational Park, Phu Quoc National Park, Phu Quoc protective forest, Hon Dat – KienHa protective forest, An Bien – An Minh coastal protective forest, and a forestmanaged by the 422 Forestry Plantation Project.   

Theprovincial People’s Committee has issued orders to strengthen fire preventionmeasures. 

KienGiang has 86,450ha of zoned forests, accounting for 13.6 per cent of its totalarea, according to its Forest Protection Sub-department. 

It hasspent more than 10 billion VND (440,000 USD) on preparations to prevent forestfires this year.

TruongThanh Hao, head of the local Forest Protection Sub-department, said theprovince had instructed local forest rangers, the police, army, and militia towork closely to prevent fires.   

Theprovince has built temporary dams and dredged wells in forests to store water,cleared dried branches and bushes in forests and established firebreaks.

Forestmanagement units have stepped up checks and will close the forests at the peakof the dry season.-VNA