Tamil Nadu: Forest fires ravage Western Ghats

COIMBATORE: Since Thursday afternoon, three fires that rapidly spread across several hectares broke out at different points of the Western Ghats, stretching the forest department’s staff to the limit. About 50 people were working to put out a massive fire on Marudhamalai.

On Friday, two fires broke out one near Alandurai, where 20 staff were deployed, and another one at Thekkalur in Anaikatti. In the last one month, 23 forest fires destroyed 36.15ha of forest area.




While forest fires are as old as the forest itself, forest department and environmentalists said that their frequency has gone up. “Usually, a spate of fires breaks out between mid-March and mid-May. But in very hot years, we see more than 10 fires. This year, they have been more than normal,” said K Syed of Osai, who was part of the team helping the forest department put out the fire on Marudhamalai. It took them more than 24 hours to extinguish it.

Madukkarai, Bouluvampatti and Coimbatore circle were found most prone to forest fires this year. Madukkarai range alone has seen three fires. “We only have 60% of the staff required to put out the fires,” district forest officer D Venkatesh told TOI.

The forest department blames the increase in the number fires to the severe winter with temperatures dropping to around 15 C, leading to heavy mist, which was followed by scorching summer, which began in February and saw temperatures touch 36 C.

“The severe winter followed by a scorching summer made the forest drier than usual,” said Venkatesh. “Also, miscreants set fires to poromboke lands for fun, which stretches to patta land on the fringes and finally the forest. Some farmers also set fire to their patta lands after the harvest season, which spreads to the forests,” Venkatesh said.