High fire risk in Ca Mau
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Staff of U Minh Ha National Park in Ca Mau Province cut grass to reduce fire hazard. — VNA/VNS Photo Le Huy Hai |
HCM CITY — Ca Mau Province's Forest Protection Department has announced a high fire danger for more than 36,000ha of cajeput in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province because of extremely dry conditions.
"The water level in the canal that goes through the forest is alarmingly low, causing concern about fire fighting and prevention," said Nguyen Van The, the park's director.
"The park has a 143km canal system with water volumes of 3.7 million cubic metres in December last year. Volumes have dropped now to 3 million cubic metres and are expected to drop further to 1.3 million cu. m within three months because of the long hot season," The said.
The province has built 129 dikes and dredged 339km of canal in an attempt to save water. It has also set up a 355km-fire break, purchased 61 pumps and prepared 40,080m of pipeline to prepare for bushfires.
Relevant agencies have recruited 2,000 volunteer firefighters and formed four teams to raise public awareness of the high fire danger.
Gia Lai burns
Yesterday afternoon more than 100 firefighters and army troops in Central Highland province of Gia Lai put out a mountain-top fire in the province's Dak Po, Mang Yang and An Khe districts.
The fire, which broke out in KBang District on Monday, spread to Dak Po and then Mang Yang Districts destroying 25ha of pine forest, mainly in Dak Po District's Ha Tam Commune, according to the provincial forestry authority.
Nguyen Hong Linh, head of the authority, said it took firefighters three hours to climb up to the fire because there was no vehicle access.— VNS