75,550 forest fires in country in 6 months

Tribune News Service

Aksheev Thakur

New Delhi, April 29

India reported 75,550 incidents of forest fire between November 1 last year and April 29, according to data provided by the Forest Survey of India (FSI).

4 main causes

• Uttarakhand Forest Department blames fires ignited deliberately, carelessness, farm activities and natural reasons for forest fires
• Locals set forests on fire for growth of good quality grass, to cover up illegal cutting of trees, for poaching, etc
• 3,500 fire incidents reported in Uttarakhand between November 2023 and April 29
• Large-scale fires are the one spread over a minimum forest area of 121.406 hectares

While the Army and the Indian Air Force (IAF) were pressed into action to douse the forest fires in Uttarakhand, there has been no such service for other states such as Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which have reported more than 1,000 incidents of forest fire after November last year.

The forests in Uttarakhand have seen over 3,500 fire incidents during the aforementioned period, of which 600 were of large scale. The FSI defines large-scale fires as the ones spread over a minimum forest area of 121.406 hectares. Uttarakhand is the only Himalayan state facing forest fire currently.

From 2001 to 2023, India lost 38.1 kilo hectare of tree cover due to forest fires and Uttarakhand, in the same period, reported the loss of 1.18 kilo hectare of tree cover. The forest fire season in India lasts from November to June. Factors like temperature, precipitation, vegetation and moisture contribute to the scale and frequency of these fires. Most fires, according to the Forest Department, are due to manmade reasons, including changes in agriculture system and unchecked land-use patterns.

The Uttarakhand forest department has stated four causes of forest fires in Uttarakhand — deliberate fires by locals, carelessness, farming-related activities and natural reasons. The locals set forests on fire for the growth of good quality grass, to cover up illegal cutting of trees, for poaching, etc.

“The fire has been happening because of mischievous elements. We are making people aware and appealing to them not to ignite anything. I have asked people to inform the forest department whenever they find anyone igniting fire in forests. Action will be taken against people igniting fire in forest areas under the Indian Forest Act, 1927,” said Garhwal District Forest Officer Anirudh Swapnil.

Odisha has reported 4,795 forest fire incidents since November last year, Chhattisgarh 2,116 and Andhra Pradesh 1,062 forest fires. Explaining the challenges, a senior forest official in Uttarakhand said, “There are certain forest areas where helicopters cannot be used. Fire lines are created in the forest so that fire does not spread. But most of these fire incidents are manmade. We even sensitise communities living in and around the forest area and seek their support in dousing the flames.” Last year, India reported 2,12,249 incidents of forest fire.

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