Villagers set fire to forest to later collect mushrooms
FIREFIGHTERS have been battling to put out a blaze spreading through a forest at Phabong dam area of Mae Hong Son province which local villagers had started in order to later collect mushrooms that would grow there, Naewna newspaper said today (Apr. 20).
At 9 a.m. yesterday Mr. Chittiphan Phayam, head of the Forest Fire and Haze Situation Command and Monitoring Centre, Namtok Mae Surin National Park, was alerted about this fire and in turned informed Mae Hong Son Forest Fire Control Station that then sent firefighters to put it out with the help of officials from both this national park and Ban Pha Bong Nuea Forest Fire Watchpoint.
They succeeded in extinguishing the raging forest fire in some areas but could not directly tackle the flames racing down at some steep cliffs. A helicopter from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment was used to help put it out while those on the ground created fire breaks and set up a Smart Patrol Team to continue monitoring the area.
Local villagers have been secretly burning forests in this area because many kinds of wild mushrooms grow all over the mountain range at the start of the rainy season generating huge income for them.
As the Meteorological Department forecast a summer storm in the northern region soon, the villagers rush to set the forest ablaze, being afraid that they might not be able to do so conveniently when the rainy season sets in.
This has created a problem for local officials who have to spend a large budget to put out forest fires including calling for helicopter support.
Photo: Naewna
This report was originally published by www.thainewsroom.com
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