As per statistics by the Forest Survey of India, Maharashtra is one of the leading forest fire-prone states with the number of incidents doubling from 22,499 in 2019 to 44,809 in 2021
Representational image. AP
Forest fires have an adverse impact on the environment and are a major cause of destroying the habitat of local flora and fauna.
As per statistics by the Forest Survey of India, Maharashtra is one of the leading forest fire-prone states with the number of incidents doubling from 22,499 in 2019 to 44,809 in 2021. Such incidents mostly occur in the period of January to March every year.
But what does it take to control such incidents?
Jayoti Banerjee, Indian Forest Service officer at the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Amravati, Maharashtra, took to Twitter to share glimpses of how forest officers control such disasters. In the video, officials are clambering down the slopes with heavy blowers to douse the fire in Melaghat’s tough terrain.
Banerjee tweeted the video of the scene with the caption: “Just a glimpse as to what it takes to control #ForestFires in tough terrains of #MelghatTigerReserve #Foresters clambering down the slopes with 15kg Blowers to douse the blaze Most Forest Fires r man-made, Accidental or Mischief.. #Foresters risk their lives to douse most!”
Watch the clip here:
Reacting to the video, a user commented that he hoped it was a demo as it was dangerous to put out such a blazing fire with just four people.
To this, Banerjee replied that while it was good to be skeptical, the video was real. “Also our #ForestFireTeams have more people. With blowers even a few can control a fire site. Now don’t call the orange flames in background as artificial too..” she added.
Another user questioned why drones are not used to make the process safe, to which Banerjee replied:
Some of the users even commented on the challenges faced in hilly terrains, to which Banerjee responded several factors, including heavy winds, high temperature and steep slopes make it a challenge to douse forest fires in terrains such as Melghats. She also stated that even after the flames are put out, a simmering stump or ember may fly and set ablaze a fresh patch of forests.
How do you think can we deal with the issue of forest fires?