Fires rage in parched Vietnam forests – Red River at record low

By Van Phuc – Translated by Hai Mien

Vietnam’s northern mountainous region has seen an outbreak of severe forest fires over the last few days, with many blazes yet to be brought under control. The central steering committee for forest protection, and fire prevention and fighting, said March 4 that persistent hot, dry weather has been the main cause of the fires. A particularly large inferno broke out March 3 in Tan Duong District of Lai Chau Province. The fire started around noon in Can Ho village, Khum Ha Commune. The area’s terrain together with strong winds sent the fire quickly up a nearby mountain, destroying over 6 hectares of regenerative forest. The fire was finally stamped out around midnight. The same day, another fire raged day and night in Son Binh Commune. Over 200 army officials and soldiers in the province, in addition to commune residents, worked to contain the blaze. The amount of damage to the area has yet to be determined. On the evening of the day, two more fires occurred in the province’s Tan Uyen District. In Son La Province, meanwhile, a blaze broke out at Ta Xua Natural Reserve on the night of March 2. The inferno has been spreading to bordering forests in Yen Bai Province. The Son La Province Forest Management Sub-department said flames began on a mountain bordering the two provinces. The scorching weather together with strong winds then blew the fire to the nature reserve. It is estimated that so far, 40-50 hectares of forest have been destroyed in the area. As of 5pm March 4, the inferno was still burning out of control. By late afternoon on the same day, 19 localities were reported in extremely high danger of forest fires due to the hot, dry weather, which has lasted for several months, the Forest Protection Department under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development said. According to satellite data, Vietnam has recently experienced 176 forest fires. …

Forest fires spreading at alarming rate in north

By Tuoi Tre, 17:30′ 24/02/2010 (GMT+7) VietNamNet Bridge – Drought in Vietnam is becoming increasingly alarming: the Red River is at its lowest ever level as the northern region suffers a serious drought and fears rise of forest fires. Eight provinces and cities were warned about the dangers of forest fires being at dangerous levels including six regarded as “extremely dangerous”. On February 23, the numbers reached 12 and 7. Ha Cong Tuan, chief of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Forest Protection Department, said that the risk of forest fires is rising. … Tuan said that following the impact of El Nino, the weather in Vietnam this year is very dry. The average temperature in all regions has increased by 2-3°C. In addition, the rainy season 2009 ended early while the average rainfall was very low. During the Tet holiday, eight forest fires were reported, including one case that destroyed more than 1000ha of forests in the northern provinces of Lao Cai and Lai Chau. According to the official, over 70 percent of forest fires in Vietnam are caused by farmers burning off trees to clear land for cultivation. Once forest fires happen, it is very difficult to stamp it out because Vietnam lacks modern firefighting equipment. The best measure is prevention. … Ta Vu Linh, deputy director of the U Minh Ha national park, also said that more than 2000ha of forest in his park is at the fourth level of alarm and in one week, around 1000ha would be listed at the fifth level – extremely dangerous. The park has arranged 180 employees to live in the forest for two months and not allowed any further people into the park. At the Phu Quoc national park, more than 31,000ha of forest are in serious drought. The whole park now faces the highest level of forest fire alarm, though the drought hasn’t reached its peak. The park’s director, Pham Quang Binh, said that all the park’s staffs are living in the forest to prevent fires. … According to hydro meteorological experts, the Central Highlands will face the most serious drought in many years, especially in March and April. …

Parched Vietnam on forest fire red alert