Weather monitoring stations planned in forests

The Forest department has revived its talks with Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) for setting up weather monitoring stations in forest patches and near settlements.

The proposal made in 2017 has been revived after the over 5,000 hectares of forest turned to ashes in the state, largely in Bandipur Tiger Reserve.

G S Srinivasa Reddy, Director, KSNDMC, told DH that discussions were on to set up monitoring stations and smoke detection instruments in offices and settlements with a control system. The idea was mooted by the forest department.

Forest officials have started to take a relook at the proposal after the recent fire. At present, alerts sent by KSNDMC and the websites of India Meteorological Department are being referred for nearest location like Mysuru, Gundlupet, Begur or Chamarajanagar.

Forest staffers have said that the cause of fire was intense heat and strong wind. "There is a need for weather station near forests also," said a forest department official.

Weathermen said that setting up a monitoring station in such areas involves huge expenditure since strong communication base need to be established in remote areas.

According to KSNDMC the, maximum temperature in Gudlupet, closest to the forest patches, on February 22, 23 and 24 was 33.7, 34.9 and 35.4 degree Celsius, respectively. The wind speed was not more than 5-10 kmph on all these days. But local squalls could have been formed in the interior forest patches.

The maximum temperatures in Mysuru and Chamarajanagar have been 34 degree Celsius each, two degrees above normal. According to KSNDMC, the temperatures are soaring up to 40 degree Celsius in coastal and north interior Karnataka the mercury may go up in the coming days.