The COVID-19-induced lockdown has done good to the forests as the number of fire alerts has plummeted by nearly one-fourth of last year’s cases.
The Forest Fire Alerts System of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) recorded 59 incidents since March 24, when the State went for the lockdown. However, there were 232 such alerts during the corresponding period last year.
The strikingly low number of fire alerts underscores the “working theory” of the department that the majority of forest fires are man-made, say senior forest officials.
A comparison of the fire data for March, the peak summer and fire-prone month of the year, during the current year and the previous year reveals an unusual drop in fire alerts. The FSI reported 209 alerts during March this year against 576 in March 2019. The most number of such alerts was reported from Idukki (71) followed by Pathanamthitta (54) this time.
An analysis of the number of alerts during the last two weeks of March this year with the figures of the previous year comes in as a surprise for forest officials. While 61 incidents were recorded between March 16 and March 23 this year, it was 138 fire incidents during the corresponding period last year. The seven-day period starting March 9 this year saw just 60 incidents against 260 of the previous year.
Low human interference
Head of Forest Force, Kerala, P.K. Kesavan says the reduction in the fire alerts could be attributed to the reduced human interference in forest fringes and forest routes following the lockdown. The forest tracts are now free of any human activity, which might have resulted in the sharp decline in the number of incidents, Mr. Kesavan told The Hindu.
Changes in weather patterns such as difference in atmospheric temperature and summer showers could influence the forest fire every year. However, there are no unusual weather incidents of that magnitude this year, which could lead to the significant drop in fire incidents, he says.
