A watch tower in the U Minh Thuong National Park in Kien Giang province to provide early warning in case of fires in the ongoing dry season (Photo: VNA)Kien Giang (VNS/VNA) - The MekongDelta province of Kien Giang has some 13,000ha of forests facing a major threatof fires in An Minh, Hon Dat, Giang Thanh, and Phu Quoc districts.
Nguyen Tan Xong, deputy head of the province’s Forest ProtectionSub-department, said forests in Hon Dat, parts of Giang Thanh and forest areasNo 32 and 33 in An Minh have fire risk levels of three or four on a scale offive.
Cajeput forests in Hon Dat face great risk, he said. There have already beenthree this year, but they were put out quickly and so the damage was notextensive, he added.
To cope with the threat, the province has set up a steering committee for fireprevention and control and rescue and a multi-agency force to fight forestfires.
The committee has instructed forest managers and rangers to monitor high-riskareas around the clock and coordinate with the police and army when fires breakout.
It has strengthened communication to people living near forests about fires andforest protection.
Hon Dat’s forest managers such as the Hon Dat-Kien Giang forest managementboard, the Forest Plantation No. 422 management board and the Kien GiangAgriculture and Forestry Company have each set up two to three monitoring siteswith five or six people working around the clock and firefighting facilitiesstanding by.
Hon Dat’s forest rangers are focusing on fire prevention since the forecast isfor no rain until May and the threat levels are high.
At the U Minh Thuong National Park, the risk level is at the lowest. Parkauthorities have established six fire prevention groups to monitor high-riskareas and regularly inspect sluices and dams to ensure there is sufficientwater during the ongoing dry season.
They have consolidated sluices, built two dams, dredged reservoirs, and cleared20 forest roads in high-risk areas.
When the fire risk increases to the second and third levels, the park will stoptourism activities and keep even the entry of locals to a minimum.
Kien Giang has more than 70,500ha of forests, accounting for 10.6 percent ofits land area.
It planted 1,276ha of new forests last year and expects to plant another 935hathis year, according to its Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. —VNS/VNA
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