Ulaanbaatar
PM gives orders concerning wildfires: temporary travel ban in forest areas
Society
Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ On July 15, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat held a hearing on situation of ongoing fires and gave an ordinance to relevant authorities. According to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), there are 21 fires burning in the country, five of which are inaccessible to human beings. More than 700 servants and 30 vehicles are operating on the scenes of 16 wildfires, including in Yeroo, Mandal, Khuder soums of Selenge aimag and Selenge and Khutag-Undur soums of Bulgan aimag. Batsumber soum of Tuv aimag is currently experiencing the most of fires or five in total. The most areas of the country are being affected by excessive heat and dryness and over 70-80 percent of all fires were caused by human factors and negligence.
After the hearing, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat instructed relevant Ministers and authorities to take the following measures:
1. To temporarily prohibit travel and picnics in green zones, most importantly to strengthen the enforcement of this decision and to increase the number of patrols.
2. First of all, to stop the fire spread immediately with effective management of personnel and equipment and to inform the Prime Minister on the situation and get necessary assistance.
3. To mobilize the armed forces and their powerful machines and equipment, if the NEMA wants support, assessing the situation and to provide preparedness and readiness for it.
4. To use cloud seeding in the areas where fires are burning, in possible meteorological conditions.
5. To define the cause of the fires and to impose liability on the persons who is responsible for the fires.
The PM officially expressed his gratitude for the initiative of people who volunteered to join to extinguish the wildfires. “- But it is a very responsible task for specially trained people to be done in special clothing and with particular equipment. Therefore, volunteering for fire extinguishing takes a risk to human life, and it can also cause burdens to the professionals working there. Presently, the NEMAs considers it possible to stop the spread of the fires and extinguish by their own capacity and force, as well as the National Weather and Research Institute informed that cloud seeding in the fire burning areas is possible as rain clouds are expected to accumulate in the fire burning regions on July 17-19” said the PM appealing people to be calm and understanding. The NEMA was obliged to bring donations from the public to the fire sites.
After the hearing, Prime Minister J.Erdenebat instructed relevant Ministers and authorities to take the following measures:
1. To temporarily prohibit travel and picnics in green zones, most importantly to strengthen the enforcement of this decision and to increase the number of patrols.
2. First of all, to stop the fire spread immediately with effective management of personnel and equipment and to inform the Prime Minister on the situation and get necessary assistance.
3. To mobilize the armed forces and their powerful machines and equipment, if the NEMA wants support, assessing the situation and to provide preparedness and readiness for it.
4. To use cloud seeding in the areas where fires are burning, in possible meteorological conditions.
5. To define the cause of the fires and to impose liability on the persons who is responsible for the fires.
The PM officially expressed his gratitude for the initiative of people who volunteered to join to extinguish the wildfires. “- But it is a very responsible task for specially trained people to be done in special clothing and with particular equipment. Therefore, volunteering for fire extinguishing takes a risk to human life, and it can also cause burdens to the professionals working there. Presently, the NEMAs considers it possible to stop the spread of the fires and extinguish by their own capacity and force, as well as the National Weather and Research Institute informed that cloud seeding in the fire burning areas is possible as rain clouds are expected to accumulate in the fire burning regions on July 17-19” said the PM appealing people to be calm and understanding. The NEMA was obliged to bring donations from the public to the fire sites.
B.Ooluun
