Azraq, May 2 (Petra)-- Agricultural authorities in the Azraq district have launched an awareness and monitoring campaign to protect forests and farmland from wildfires as the summer hiking season begins and temperatures climb.

Yousef Al-Rifa'i, director of the Azraq Agriculture Department, said on Saturday that the directorate has increased surveillance and boosted the readiness of its field teams across the district, which is located in the Zarqa Governorate.

The campaign focuses on educating the public about the dangers of starting fires in forested areas and the importance of reporting any outbreaks immediately to the authorities.

Al-Rifa'i said forestry teams have conducted maintenance on firebreaks in high-risk areas to prevent the spread of potential blazes. He added that agricultural roads are being cleared to ensure firefighting crews can access remote sites.

The preventative measures are being coordinated with local emergency committees, administrative governors, and the Civil Defense to ensure a rapid response and to minimize potential environmental damage.

Azraq is one of Jordan’s most significant agricultural hubs, containing approximately 151,000 dunams (37,300 acres) of forest and grazing land. Al-Rifa'i called on the public to cooperate with official bodies to protect these areas, describing the preservation of the country’s vegetation cover as a shared responsibility between the state and its citizens.

//Petra// AF