JOIN US2,000 forest fires in Karnataka as miscreants exploit lockdown
The nine-day lockdown has seen forest fires in more than 2,000 locations with officials reporting more than 300 fire incidents on Wednesday alone even as the department has stepped up efforts to contain such incidents amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Forest Minister Anand Singh stated that the state government has requested the Indian Air Force (IAF) to be on standby with helicopters to help fight fires. "They have readily assured us full support," the note from the minister said.
The state witnessed forest fires at 1,777 locations from March 21 to 30. An additional 300 fire incidents were reported on Wednesday alone, with officials suspecting foul play most cases.
A senior forest officer expressed concern about the increasing fire surrounding urban areas. "We have verified the incidents and found that people are taking advantage of the lack of traffic during the lockdown to set fire to forests. As this is also the peak time, officials and staffers of the department will be busy in fire prevention exercises and miscreants see an opportunity in this," the official said.
Setting forests afire is seen as the first step towards the encroachment of the forest land. Singh, however, stated that the department was using latest technology to track encroachment.
"We have developed an application which gives the indication on satellite images along with GPS readings of the loss of forest vegetation of 10 square metres and above every 15 days. By this, we are able to detect and curb fresh encroachments even during the lockdown," he said.
Last year, 12,000 acres of Bandipur forests were burnt due to a major fire. Investigation that followed showed that faulty firelines created at a cost of Rs 1.4 crore by skirting transparency, lack of supervision and a general slackness towards fire prevention led to the incident.
The minister stated that the department has divided forests into blocks by making firelines at different intervals by the end of December. "From January 1, the fire watchers are positioned at critical places to tackle fire. Night patrolling is also carried out in areas vulnerable to fire, smuggling, hunting etc," the note from the minister said.
Officials have also used camera traps and stealth cameras to detect movement of the offenders and have booked several cases of forest encroachment.