Hot weather has drained the island’s lakes and springs. This means firefighters may struggle to source locally available water in cases where a bushfire occurs.
More than half of the melaleuca forests in the southernmost province of Ca Mau are also on alert for wildfire due to prolonged dry weather. Many of the forests have begun to wilt because the water in canals surrounding the trees has evaporated. Ca Mau has 41,000ha of melaleuca forests, 30,000ha of which are in U Minh District.
All of the melaleuca forests belonging to U Minh Ha National Park, which is part of a UNESCO-recognised Ca Mau Biosphere Reverse, are at risk.
