Deciduous forest fringes in several parts of the State have been in blaze in the past couple of weeks even as the summer has showed its worst sultry face.
When forest fires elsewhere are considered a routine annual affair, the one reported from the Silent Valley National Park has evoked greater interest, prompting the government to seek a report on it.
All incidents of wildfires reported across the State so far have ground fires, and none of them has assumed the proportion of a crown fire. Although dozens of hectares of forest land have been burnt, the number of trees lost or the number of animals killed is minimal.
The weekend saw forest officers heaving a sigh of relief as the fires that raged for three or four days have been brought under control. In the Silent Valley, showers have brought cheers to dozens of firefighters who have been spending whole nights “beating and blowing” at the thickets on fire.
WhatsApp collective
The department’s experiment by fighting the fire with people’s participation has rendered positive results. Over two dozen men, young and middle-aged alike, were mobilized within hours through a WhatsApp collective in Silent Valley.
According to the Forest department, all fires were deliberately set on by some people who had some grouse against the department or its officials. “It’s natural. When the forest staff try to protect the woods, they always confront some elements who have vested interests against the law,” says S. Vinod, Wildlife Warden of the Silent Valley National Park.
Although the Forest department has started investigations into the fires, parallel efforts are on to educate the people living in the fringes. In spite of the increased social concern over forest fires, the perpetrators often fail to achieve their goals. The Forest Survey of India uses its satellite system to detect fires and alert the staff on duty through SMS. “We could reach any part of the forest within hours when a fire is reported and no fire can go undetected,” says Mr. Vinod.
The blazes reported so far have been in the fringes and the core areas of the forests remain unscathed largely because of the protective fire belts or firewalls built around them. Fire belts in 5.2 metre width were built in all major forest areas across the State in December-January by different measures, including early burning.
Difficult terrain
Although the difficult terrain and high temperature made it inaccessible for the fire fighters during the day, they spent whole nights fighting the blaze with beaters and blowers. “Beaters and blowers have been found effective against ground fires,” says Sreenivas Kurra, Divisional Forest Officer, Palakkad.
Blowers, though a recent addition to the firefighters ammunition, have been found effective in limiting the fire within a specified area. As the blowers use diesel or petrol as fuel, they carry a great amount of risk.
“True. But we are handling them very carefully,” says Mr. Vinod.
