Currently, there are warnings of extremely dangerous level 5 forest fires in Phu Quoc City, level 4 - high risk level in some districts such as Giang Thanh, Kien Luong... The functional forces of Kien Giang province have established a team to inspect the situation of forest fire prevention in key areas.
In the border district of Giang Thanh, local authorities and forest owners will implement a forest fire prevention and fighting plan, thereby promptly detecting shortcomings, limitations and implementing remedial measures.
According to the Kien Giang Forest Management Board, the unit manages a total forest area of nearly 300 hectares in Giang Thanh district. This is an ecosystem of flooded cajuput forests, pure plantation forests of 4-year and 6-year-old species, with strong development. Traffic inside the forest includes subdivision canals and a closed canal system around. Patrol, management, protection and transportation of forest fire prevention and fighting forces and vehicles are mainly taken from canals and canal lanes in the forest.
Mr. Nguyen Minh Tri - Director of Kien Giang Forest Management Board - said that the risks of causing forest fires here are due to the formation of a potential layer of coal and mud under the forest canopy, which is a source of fire and is difficult to extinguish. During the dry season, some households living around the forest come to catch honey and leave behind flare-ups, causing many large and small forest fires. In the context of prolonged dry, hot weather, the risk of forest fires is very high.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) of Kien Giang said that through inspection, the cause of the fire was determined to focus on effective prevention. Forces closely coordinate with local authorities and units in the area to propagate legal education, install additional notices, propagate around the forest, and minimize people from going to the forest to burn bees for honey.
The forest management production team of Division 330 manages 611 hectares of cajuput forest, however, the means, equipment, and pumps of this unit are still lacking; the conditions of the forest land here do not retain water... causing difficulties in preventing forest fires.
The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development also directed the District Forest Protection Department to coordinate and mobilize pumps to support; send forces to increase 24/7 duty during the peak dry season months, minimizing forest fires.
Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Kien Giang Le Huu Toan said: The decline in water intake and in-field water sources is causing the risk of draining up canals, ditches, culverts, and water pumping stations in areas responding to forest fires. This is one of the province's biggest challenges in fire prevention and fighting.
The infrastructure for fire prevention and fighting of current forest owners has not met requirements. Although technology such as flycams in daily forest observation and fire prevention has been initially applied, the application is not much, not widespread in the area, and many temperature surveillance cameras have not been invested in to prevent forest fires from the beginning.
"The province has immediately implemented a fire prevention plan, especially ensuring water resources. Allow people living along the forest to sign a commitment to use fire, burn fields, burn bees, and hunt in areas near the forest... Identify vulnerable areas and locations from the beginning to organize regular patrols and inspections. Require forest owners to be on duty regularly, especially at guard posts, with specific phases, agencies, and people, to be regularly inspected and monitored, Mr. Toan emphasized.
Mr. Toan also said that this year the province has allocated over 17 billion VND to all forest owners to invest in equipment, tools, and means to proactively plan forest fire prevention and fighting.
In April 2024, a forest fire in Giang Thanh district damaged more than 370 hectares of forest. Due to prolonged hot weather, the burning area was mainly cajuput forest, with cover under thick forest canopy. In some areas, there was a lack of water, the coal and mud layers were still smoldering and strong winds caused the fire to re-ignite and spread to the surrounding areas. The fire not only caused damage to the forest but also consumed a lot of human and material resources to serve the fire fighting work.
