Morni fire: Forest Dept admits lack of modern techniques

Saurabh Malik

Chandigarh, June 11

About a week after the Punjab and Haryana High Court called for details of steps initiated by the government for controlling fire in Morni forests, the Forest Department accepted that it was not equipped with modern firefighting techniques such as aerial watering.

In a reply placed before the Bench of Justice Deepak Sibal and Justice Vikram Aggarwal, Morni-Pinjore Divisional Forest Officer Vishal Kaushik said the officials had been taking timely measures with the available resources. He said that as of date, there was no active fire, adding that all incidences of fire during the past few weeks had been contained.

He said, “This summer has been exceptionally hot with high temperatures, low humidity, and a long dry spell, which make the dried pine needles on the ground of the forest vulnerable to fire. The incidences of fire may be caused by conducive fire conditions and, at times, the negligence of trespassers, local inhabitants, or visitors.”

He said the department, recognising the heightened risk of forest fires in arid regions, made preparations every year, including the setting up of fire lines, deployment of fire watchers and readiness to respond swiftly to fire incidents.

He said these preparations involved creating teams equipped to detect and extinguish fires promptly, with a response time of up to one hour.