Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has issued an order asking ministries,industries and localities to take drastic measures to prevent forestfires.

Early this month, 12 localities were warned of serious forest fire risks due to prolonged dry weather nationwide.

The highest-level alert was announced in eight provinces, includingBinh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Dong Nai, Gia Lai, Ha Nam, Nghe An and NinhBinh.

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmentand the National Steering Committee on Forest Protection and Developmenthave been assigned to cooperate with local People's Committees in orderto ensure safety in high-risk provinces and cities.

Forest ranger teams have been directed to tighten their inspections andto curb illegal logging and unwise agricultural practices includingburning terraced fields.

The PM also required localitiesto prepare fire-fighting teams, materials and equipment to cope with aforest fire in case of a blaze.

The head of the locality wil have to take responsibility and suffer the consequences if a heavy forest fire occurs.

The most recent forest fire began on March 2 and raged for five days innorthern Lao Cai province's Hoang Lien National Park ,destroying nearly 100ha of forest, according to reports by theprovincial Steering Committee for Forest Fire Control.

The fire not only had a negative impact on the surrounding environment but also affected tourism to the region.

The steering committee has attempted to discover the reason for thefire and co-operate with the management board of Hoang LienNational Park to restore the green, clean and beautiful landscape.

The North-west Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting Centre has warned thatweather conditions are still unpredictable, since dry weather isforecast to last through the next few days. Therefore, not only Sa PaDistrict but also Van Ban, Bat Xat and Bao Thang districts need to stayvigilant in order to prevent forest fires.

It is estimated that around 200 forest fires occurred nationwide last year, destroying over 2,000ha of forest.-VNA