Preventive measures in Lattakia to limit spread of fires and restore forest roads

Within the plan to combat forest fires, the Directorate of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in Lattakia Governorate is working in coordination with public authorities to take preventive measures to limit the spread of fires in most areas of the governorate.

Head of the Forestry Department in the Directorate of Agriculture, Basem Doba, told a SANA reporter that the directorate has a number of measures as part of its preparations for a plan to combat forest fires, including the restoration of forest roads. So, about 880 kilometers were restored during a period of one and a half months out of a total plan estimated at 1,700 kilometers.

Doba pointed out that the work plan included searching for water sources to ensure the speedy supply of the fire engines and shortening the time between the site of the fire and the water source.

Doba indicated that the directorate has also worked to restore 7 reserve water tanks with a capacity of about 160,000 cubic meters each in forest areas where there is water poverty. In coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Organization, work is also underway to install 10 mobile tanks in the most needy mountainous areas where there is no water in addition to the main water sources provided by the Drinking Water Corporation and the Water Resources Directorate.

Doba pointed out that the directorate has 5 fire stations equipped with human and technical staff, 35 ready-made firefighting vehicles with their crews, watchtowers spread in forest areas, tractors equipped with sprinklers, in addition to the forestry control personnel.

During the past year, the forestry firefighting forces in the Directorate of Agriculture extinguished 980 agricultural fires and 114 forest fires.

Inas Abdulkareem