Watch | One-fifth of India’s forests prone to fires

A Tiwa tribes man looks for a spot to catch fish with fishing rods in killing River in Assam-Meghalaya state border on November 10, 2016. During their free time Tiwas living in the hills practice fishing and hunting. Harvesting season will start from the end of this month which will continue till December. Tiwa is a major tribe of Assam state who practice Jhum or shifting cultivation for their living in the hills. | File (Source: The Hindu)

About 21.40% of forest cover in India is prone to fires according to a 2019 report by the Forest Survey of India (FSI). FSI carried out a study along forest fire points identified across the country from 2004 to 2017. Forests in the north-eastern region and central India was found to be the most vulnerable.

The total number of alerts issued for each state from November 2018 to June 2019 were 29,547. Mizoram recorded the highest number of fire alerts at 2,795. The seven States of the north-eastern region accounted for 10,210 fire alerts making up about one-third of alerts in the country.

One of the major reasons for forest fires in the north-east is slash-and-burn cultivation. Commonly called jhoom or jhum cultivation. But the FSI study found that the overall green cover has increased in the country.