The State government has been receiving technical inputs including satellite images from the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, to identify and prevent forest fires, thereby avoiding any loss of wildlife in the Papikonda National Park (PNP) in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in the Eastern Ghats.
PNP is home to tigers and Indian bison (Bos gaurus). Spread over 1,012 sq. km along the Papikonda hill range and the banks of River Godavari, the national park is thriving with a whopping 375 Indian bisons. Of the 13 protected forests in the State, PNP is the only habitat where the Forest Department has sighted the endangered leopard cat (Prinailurus bengalensis).
Forest fires have been reported at multiple locations and directions across the length and breadth of the dense forest cover of the PNP, leading to the loss of forest cover.
The Hindu has photographed a forest fire along the stretch of nearly 30 km between Chintoor outskirts and the Sokileru viewpoint, where even the tip of the hill caught fire by the night. The forest cover abutting the streams has also caught fire, reportedly owing to the scorching heat of the ongoing summer.
The forest authorities were able to identify and prevent forest fires in the accessible areas. However, identifying forest fires on the hills remains challenging particularly during the evenings, due to the active movements of wild animals. Early this year, a lone tiger reportedly strayed from the park. However, it later returned to its habitat.
Speaking to The Hindu, Chintoor Divisional Forest Officer M. Babitha said: “We have already deployed personnel to initiate preventive measures with the available strategies and equipment. We have also sought the FSI for regular updates on the forest fires inside the PNP.”
“The FSI has been monitoring the forest fires in Andhra Pradesh. It is the only source for identifying and responding to forest fires in the hills and dense forest covers. The FSI shares the forest fires and their location details so the personnel can rush there,” added Ms. Babitha.
The irony is that the wild animals are forced to move towards safe locations during the forest fires, and those movements land the animals in peril as they fall prey to poachers, particularly during the night.
It is the prime task of the Forest Department to report back to the FSI on the status of the reported forest fires and loss, if any.
