Cajuput forests in the U Minh Thượng National Park in Kiên Giang Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Lê Huy Hải

KIÊN GIANG — Kiên Giang Province has about 18,000ha of forests facing between the third and fifth levels of fire risks, according to its Forest Protection Sub-department.

More than 6,000ha in Phú Quốc National Park in Phú Quốc City face the fifth level (extreme dangerous level), and the remaining areas in Hà Tiên and Phú Quốc City and six districts face the third and fourth levels (high and dangerous levels).

The Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta province has 82,650ha zoned for growing specialised-use forests, protective forests and commercial forests.

Since the beginning of the ongoing dry season in 2024-25, localities, relevant agencies and forest owners in the province have proactively taken measures to prevent and control forest fires, especially in important forests with high fire risks.

They are preventing and fighting forest fires under the “four on-site” solution (on-site human forces, on-site vehicles and equipment, on-site logistics, and on-site command).

The sub-department has co-operated with forest owners, relevant agencies and the commune-level People’s Committees to boost advocacy activities to enhance public awareness about regulations on preventing and controlling forest fires.

It has guided more than 900 households living near forests to sign commitments to protect forests, and prevent and fight forest fires in this dry season.

It has organised 15 courses on preventing and controlling forest fires for hundreds of people.

Its local forest protection bureaus have co-operated with police, army, militia and self-defence forces to protect forests and prevent forest fires.

The province has approved plans for preventing and controlling forest fires during this dry season for two national parks, two forest management boards and the sub-department. These plans cost a total of VNĐ17.3 billion (US$680,000).

It has established more than 170 groups at the grass-­roots level with more than 1,660 people for forest protection.

Forest owners have made fire breaks over a total area of 60ha, built and consolidated 48 dams and six sluices to store water, dredged wells on islands to store more water, and installed 56 water containers with a holding capacity of two to 12 cubic meters in fire-prone areas.

They have dredged ponds in forests, and repaired and maintained electric pumping stations to pump water into forests in Hòn Đất and Giang Thành districts.

The province has established 95 forest monitoring sites and 50 fire watching towers, and equipped hundreds of pumps, thousands of water pipes and other fire fighting facilities in forest areas.

Lê Hữu Toàn, director of the province Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said relevant agencies, forest owners and localities have arranged to monitor forests around the clock until the end of this dry season, increased patrolling forests, inspected people entering forests that have high fire risks, and pumped water into cajuput forests.

The province has temporarily stopped all activities that use fire in forests which have high fire risks during the peak period of forest fires, he said.

There were four forest fires on a total of 16.9ha of special-use forests and protective forests in Phú Quốc City and Giang Thành District in this dry season. — VNS