Hà Nội forest rangers coordinate with Đông Xuân Commune in Quốc Oai District to rehearse forest fire fighting skills. — Photo hanoimoi.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — Hà Nội is entering dry season. With thick vegetation, just a little carelessness among the trees with an open flame can cause a forest fire.

To proactively prevent forest fires, the capital city has implemented many solutions to enhance the role and responsibility of forest owners, rangers and local residents.

Hà Nội has a total forest area and sub-forest area of ​​nearly 27,100ha, across seven districts and towns including Ba Vì, Sóc Sơn, Mỹ Đức, Sơn Tây, Chương Mỹ, Quốc Oai and Thạch Thất.

Forests in Hà Nội are mainly planted ones, including trees such as pine, acacia and eucalyptus, highly flammable plant species, so the risk of forest fires is very high.

With hot, dry weather and low humidity over a long period, the city's forest fire prevention and control must always be in readiness to minimise any damage.

Ngô Xuân Thanh, a worker of the mobile team for forest fire prevention and fighting under the Hà Nội Preventive Forest Management Board, said that in the dry season (from early October to the end of May), Sóc Sơn District is always a 'hot spot' for forest fires.

The most worrying issue is that fire fighting equipment is rudimentary. Fire fighting measures are simple, mainly using hoes and shovels to clear vegetation to prevent any fire from spreading and using fresh branches and blowers to put out the flames.

Deputy Head of Forest Protection Department No 4 under the Hà Nội Forest Protection Department (FPD) Lê Văn Đức said: "In the dry season, although there have been warnings at different levels, many people, especially tourists, still bring fire sources or light fires near forests. If not detected and extinguished early, the fire spread is inevitable."

Statistics from the FPD show that from the beginning of this year, two forest fires have been recorded in the city.

Of which, one blaze was across an area of ​​1.5ha in Thạch Thất District, whereas another with an area of ​​0.5ha occurred in Sóc Sơn District.

The fires were detected and promptly extinguished, thus they caused no major damage to forest resources.

Compared to the same period last year, the number of forest fires decreased by 32 and the fire damaged area fell by more than 38ha.

Deputy Head of the FPD Nguyễn Tiến Lâm said that the number of forest fires was down sharply because localities had done a good job of forest management and protection.

It is also because this year Hà Nội has had a lot of rain, the thick vegetation has accumulated water and humidity, making areas less flammable.

But the weather forecast from now until the end of the year is for it to be dry with little rain, so localities with forests need to proactively develop plans to prevent and fight forest fires.

The Hà Nội Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has issued many documents requesting departments, branches, military units, police, districts and towns with forests to coordinate well in forest protection work and minimise the chance of forest fires taking hold.

Deputy Director of the DARD Nguyễn Mạnh Phương said most recently, local areas with forested areas have been given drills about fire fighting, raising awareness of responsibility in conducting State regulations on forest protection and development, along with fire prevention and fire fighting for officials and people from of all walks of life.

He requested districts and towns to regularly inspect and urge departments, units, people's committees of communes and towns to strictly realise forest fire prevention measures.

At the same time local authorities have been strengthening the command committee and forest fire prevention and fighting teams in communes, guiding and strictly managing the vegetation clearing according to the plan.

In addition, the FPD directed forest rangers to coordinate with local authorities to guide communes and forest owners to strictly implement the established forest fire prevention and fighting plan.

They must regularly review and adjust it as the seasons and local developments change over time.

"We are always proactive in all situations, including means and forces, promptly handling forest fires to minimise damage, ensuring absolute safety for people and property," said Lâm. — VNS