VietNamNet Bridge – The baking sun can make tens of thousands of hectares of mangrove forests in U Minh Ha catch fire at any time. The ranger force has enhanced protection 24/7 and banned local residents from entering the forest.

 

 

Dried creepers on melaleuca trees in U Minh Ha forest, which can burn anytime. 

Mr. Le Van Hai, Director of the Forest Protection Bureau of Ca Mau province, said on March 11 that the province has over 33,000 hectares of mangrove forest in a state of red alert.

The threat of fires in these forests are now at the level 4-5 (extremely dangerous), which are concentrated in U Minh Ha National Park and Tran Van Thoi forest.

From the beginning of the dry season, local people caused 12 fire cases, damaging over 10 hectares of forest due to their careless activities, especially during the process of smoking out bees to collect honey.

 

 

Checking forest fire prevention system in U Minh Ha.  

Three days ago, in Nguyen Phich commune of U Minh District, a fire occurred, damaging 3 hectares of mangrove forest of nearly 10 years old.

"The risk of forest fire is very high, so we banned people from entering the forest at this time. Up to 1,200 people are always on duty 24/7 to guard Ca Mau forest," Hai said .

In the afternoon of March 10, the Forest Protection Agency released forest fire warning at 52 sites in the provinces of: Ca Mau, An Giang, Dong Thap, Long An, Dong Nai, Tay Ninh, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan, Binh Phuoc, Ba Ria - Vung Tau, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Bac Giang, Thanh Hoa and Nghe An.

Nam Nguyen