It's official: the next month or so will get even hotter.
And it's not just because of politics.
The state weather bureau, last week, finally announced the obvious fact: the dry season has officially begun, bringing higher temperatures in the weeks ahead of the May 12 midterm polls.
And it's not just political passions that are in danger of being overheated, but on the ground, there lies a big threat.
We're talking about the sudden "explosion" (no pun intended) of grass fires that had plagued Laguna province since last week.
Most such fires had occurred on the large vacant lots awaiting development - either for industrial or commercial use - that had been left abandoned to Nature, resulting in the growth of weeds and high grasses.
Unfortunately, the fact that the owners of these vacant lots had left them to the wiles of Nature now pose a severe hazard for everyone living and working nearby.
As we've seen in various incidents around the world, grass fires are not only difficult to control, much less put out, but also pose the real danger of spreading their damage to a very wide area.
And the "side effects" of these grass fires can also cause "collateral damage": the smoke they generate, especially on grass fires happening near the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), causes reduced visibility, heightening the risk of accidents.
Not to mention, of course, the smoke pollution and the health hazards they pose to the community at large.
Why don’t we require owners of vacant lots to clear their property of high grasses or weeds before these could become a fire hazard?
As in all cases of hazards, the old maxim that "prevention is better than cure" applies to these grass fires that now pose a serious threat to our communities.
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