Every year, forest fire causes irreparable damages to the tropical and sub-tropical ecological systems. This aspect seems not to be seriously taken by the Government, although a lot of money is spent in plantation programmes under the pretext of rehabilitation of degraded forests.

Now, the fire season is underway and in some places, the fire is caused in forest blocks of the State. Every year, forest fire causes huge loss to the ecological wealth of the State, but no permanent solutions are yet in place to prevent fire.

The Chief Minister of Odisha claims that we have 51,000 hectares of forests and within last few decades, we have acquired further forest covers of the State from 31.36 to 32.98 per cent which is no small achievement. In such a case, the State forest administration cannot deny that there is no loss of forest cover through annual fire accident. It seems, such loss is not made public. When our State claims that we lead the entire nation in respect of conservation and enhancement of forest cover compared to other States, we should be truthful in respect of destruction of forest covers, due to unlawful mining encroachment and cultivation of Ganja or the cannabis.

As per sources, crores of rupees are utilized for rehabilitation of degraded forests, when every year there is forest fire in the natural eco-systems and no permanent solution is derived for proper scientific management of the State eco-systems. The people of the State always trust the positive actions of the administration. The rehabilitation measure includes the whole forest blocks of the State. It should be protected from all kinds of biotic influences. The biotic influences include the causes of forest fire, the unlawful cultivations of forest land, unlawful mining operations, felling of trees in natural ecological systems, etc.

Besides prevention from biotic influences, the rehabilitation measure includes taking up soil and moisture conservation measures in catchment as well as in watershed areas, where soil erosion is active, and top mother soil is under the process of erosion. Similarly, plantations of indigenous species in the blank areas to save the density of the forests and to maintain the normal crown coverage are also the need of the hour. The rehabilitation does not mean only to plant the seeding of tree species.

The rehabilitation measure includes protection, conservation and development of ecological systems. All types of measures should be taken for prevention of fire accidents in the forest blocks. The boundary lines of every forest block should be cleaned out and earmarked with other additional fire lines from one end to other of all blocks as per needs. These operations should be carried out before fire season starts. The firefighting equipment should be kept ready to meet the accidental fires. Again adequate man powers with fire locating watch towers should be made available in the vulnerable points to locate the accident times in the forest blocks.

Conservation practices of every forest blocks should be thoroughly inspected and where there is no regeneration of indigenous species that should be carried out. The soil and moisture conservation practices should be taken up to maintain soil fertilities. The habitats of all kinds of indigenous flora and fauna should be cultured with adequate scientific observations and practices. If the protection and conservation measures are scientifically done with sincerity the development of the forests block can definitely be achieved.

Ecological development means the development of climatic climax forests of a region and the climate of region itself.

When the writer was a new entrant in forest service, he was given the charge of clearance of the State boundary lines between Bihar and Odisha within Keonjhar Forest Division. A 200 feet inter-State boundary was maintained with pillars at short intervals. Now such practices are not followed giving rise to all kinds of disputes between the States. The State Revenue Department was pledging the funds under State Forest Department to carry out the clearance of inter-State boundary lines and the State Forest Department was carrying out the operations.

The frequent inspection of block boundary lines and inter-State boundary lines by superior officers cannot give scope to others to encroach upon. The Revenue officers are also duty-bound to inspect each inter-State boundary line at regular intervals to check the infiltrations and encroachments. So our rights must be asserted properly.

Now, the bamboos are in flowering condition. The Daba bamboo and other such bamboos flower gregariously at 12 - 13 year interval. Not only bamboo seeds, also other seeds of the forest crops are burnt in forest fire. So perfect measures are to be taken to prevent forest fire throughout the State; otherwise the bamboo forests of Odisha will vanish. The State Forest Administration should rise to the occasions.

The bamboo forests are known to be the home of elephants and certain ground birds and rodents. If the bamboo forests, which are very inflammable, are not protected from wild fire, these creatures will be de-homed and particularly the heavy bodied animals like elephants, bisons and deer, which are strictly herbivores, will suffer the most and stray to human habitats for food. This will trigger man-animal conflict. So the bamboo forests, specially the flowering bamboo forests, should be saved from wild fire.

Summer is known as the period of post breeding season of various creatures on the wild. The newborns are to be protected from fire incidences to maintain diversities of the nature. The tiger reserves and sanctuaries are more prone to fire incidence.

(The writer is an ex-forest officer and an environmentalist, Mob: 9937460649, Email: nadiya.kanungo@gmail.com)