Prolonged heat, 31,000 hectares of cajuput forest in Ca Mau are on red alert

On the afternoon of April 28th, the Ca Mau Provincial Forest Protection Department announced that the entire area of ​​melaleuca forests and island clusters in Ca Mau province, totaling over 45,600 hectares, is experiencing severe drought conditions. Of this, nearly 31,000 hectares are at fire warning level 5 (the most dangerous and highest level on the forest fire warning scale).

U Minh Ha National Park has over 8,500 hectares of strictly protected melaleuca forest, but currently more than 4,800 hectares are under fire alert level 5. The area under fire alert level 5 is concentrated mainly in U Minh Ha Forestry Company Limited, with over 16,200 hectares.

Currently, water levels in most canals and ditches within the freshwater mangrove forests of Ca Mau province are dropping rapidly, with the highest levels at only 2 meters and the lowest at just 0.05 meters. With the current hot weather, it is highly likely that within the next few days, the more than 7,100 hectares of forest currently at fire warning level 4 (dangerous level) in Ca Mau province will be upgraded to fire warning level 5. Consequently, the area of ​​forest at red alert will reach nearly 40,000 hectares.

Local forces at checkpoints and stations in the U Minh Ha forest are always on standby to fight forest fires (Hoang Nam).

Given the severe drought conditions mentioned above, the Steering Committee for the Sustainable Forestry Development Program of Ca Mau province has continuously issued notices, requesting all levels, sectors, forest owners, and local authorities with forests in the province to strengthen forest fire prevention and control measures according to the "four on-the-spot" principle.

In particular, special attention should be paid to the work of disseminating information and mobilizing the people to raise their sense of responsibility, awareness of compliance with and good implementation of regulations on forest fire prevention and control, especially the awareness of fire use by each individual and household living in and around forests; organizations and individuals without authorization are strictly prohibited from entering forests with a high risk of fire…

On April 27, 2024, the organizers of the U Minh Forest Trekking event temporarily suspended the 5,000m trek through the U Minh forest due to a high risk of forest fires in the area where the event was taking place. This event was part of the "Ca Mau - Destination 2024" program, held at U Minh Ha National Park during the April 30th and May 1st holidays.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/nang-nong-keo-dai-31-000-ha-rung-tram-ca-mau-dang-bao-dong-do.html