Minister of Sustainable Development recommends stop order for Agricultural fires due to ongoing blazes

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: Minister of Sustainable Development Orlando Habet says that a recommendation to avoid the fires in Western and Southern Belize would be to not allow any fires at all including agricultural fires during a certain time in the year.

This year’s dry season was devastating for farmers and Nature reserves as thousands of acres burnt.

“Many of them have gotten away because there isn’t proper vigilance on their own but also because from our side, from the government’s side, we need to ensure that when a person gets a permit, that they also fit the conditions and requirements for that permit. You can’t just set the fire and go away. And so it will need maybe more personnel to do the vigilance. Right now the permitting is done through the Ministry of Agriculture, I would hope that it would be through the Forestry Department, I think we have more capacity and have the experience in dealing with forest fires, it is something that Cabinet will have to decide or something that we can work together, both the Forest Department and the Ministry of Agriculture but it can’t continue like this,” Minister Habet said.

Minister Habet says that he has been updated on the situation in the Chiquibul National Park and the Vaca Forest Reserve.

Volunteers were also still battling fires in Santa Familia, Cayo.

“So it’s devastating, the smoke is terrible, the air quality is really poor so we don’t advise, and I think the doctors have advised for people who do their exercise in the morning or evening to be very cautious because it can affect them.

I think one recommendation that I can make that at a certain time during the year, I think that what we will have to do is not allow any fires at all, not even agricultural fires because we can’t continue like this,” Habet reiterated.

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