Rise in forest fires forces Maharashtra to draw Rs 30 crore plan

NAGPUR: In bid to tackle increasing incidents of forest fires during summer, the state government has chalked out a Rs30 crore plan for the coming season. Maharashtra reported 1,638 forest fire incidents in 2016.
Forest fires damage ecology badly due to which regeneration of forests is the biggest issue staring at the country’s forest departments. Last year, over 3,500 hectares of forest was gutted in Uttarakhand alone.
Maharashtra government’s action plan, announced on November 19, is based on recommendations of committees constituted for Vidarbha and Konkan region.Controlling forest fires effectively is also one of the goals on the 99-point agenda of forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar.
“One of the reasons the state announced a major action plan to tackle forest fires is the lessons learnt from Uttarakhand tragedy. In the aftermath of Uttarakhand fire, a state-level committee visited the state to study the matter,” said forest officials.
According to figures released by the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), the first four months of 2016 have witnessed over 20,667 incidents of forest fires in the country compared to nearly 16,000 such cases in entire 2015.
“Till April 21, 2016, a total of 20,667 incidents of forest fires have taken place. In 2015, the total number of forest fire incidents was 15,937,” said an environment ministry official.
Maharashtra’s Rs30 crore contingency plan includes drawing fire lines, creating awareness, strengthening control rooms at division level, labourers at 388 watch towers, funds for appointing and training 388 hotshot crew (firefighters), procuring firefighting equipment, etc.
Wildlife experts say there are many reasons for forest fires. People burn forests to improve growth of grass, scare away wild animals, encroachments, accidental or other reasons.
“In Maharashtra, forests fires are mostly man-made and are set for collection of tendu and mahua flowers during summer. High temperatures aggravate the problem,” says Satpuda Foundation president Kishor Rithe.
Rithe, who is also state wildlife board member, says forest fires impact ecology and biology as it causes serious health hazards by producing smoke and noxious gases that affect local climate. It also leads to loss of timber, biodiversity, wildlife habitat, fuel wood and fodder, causes global warming and soil erosion, damages water and other natural resources, and natural regeneration process.