Hue is studying a firebreak road around Ngu Binh Mountain. The planned 1.7-km route would help contain fires and give firefighting vehicles access to the forest.
On the afternoon of October 31, Hoang Thi Nhu Thanh, chairwoman of An Cuu Ward's People's Committee, said local authorities were working with relevant agencies to survey the area and prepare a plan for a firebreak around Ngu Binh Mountain.
Thanh said the road is intended to limit fires spreading from residential areas and graves to the special-use forest, and in the opposite direction. It would also allow firefighting vehicles to reach the area and strengthen fire prevention and control at Ngu Binh, a local landmark.
The study area is bounded by existing roads: Ngu Binh, Hoang Thi Loan, Dang Huy Tru and Nguyen Khoa Chiem. The proposed project includes an access road and a firebreak. The route would be 1.7 km long, with a planned road width of 5 m.
That morning, An Cuu Ward's People's Committee held a meeting with representatives of the central Hue regional forest protection unit and other agencies involved in the project. They discussed building a road around Ngu Binh Mountain.
The participants agreed to study a white firebreak as the first phase, combined with a road around the forest area. The project is to avoid affecting the area of protected pine forest.
Hoang Thi Nhu Thanh said that after the parties agree on a specific plan, An Cuu Ward's People's Committee will report it to the ward's Party Standing Committee and Hue People's Committee to seek approval to proceed.
Ward officials expect the preparations to be completed soon so that the ward People's Council can approve the project and construction can begin in early 2027. The aim is to strengthen forest fire prevention during the coming summer.
The chairwoman of An Cuu Ward's People's Committee instructed specialist departments to prepare a proposal asking Hue People's Committee to allocate funding. The estimated project cost is VND 34.5 billion.
Ngu Binh Mountain is also known as Hon Mo or Bang Mountain. It is 103 m high on the south bank of the Perfume River and is now in An Cuu Ward. When the Nguyen dynasty built the Hue citadel, it chose the mountain as the front natural screen of the large fortified complex. Today, Ngu Binh is a well-known tourist site in Hue.
According to An Cuu Ward officials, the area around the mountain has many old graves and existing residential neighborhoods as well as the special-use forest. Forest fires occur there every year, often because of incense burning and the burning of paper and offerings near graves or in residential areas.
The ward therefore considers a road around the special-use forest necessary and urgent. Without a firebreak, relevant forces have difficulty reaching fires, and government agencies face greater difficulty overseeing burials and grave construction around the mountain.
As an initial step, An Cuu Ward's People's Committee will ask relevant units to survey the area and propose installing surveillance cameras and building designated pits for burning votive paper, for residents visiting graves. Local authorities will also study adding water tanks for firefighting.
Sources: Dân Trí
