Wildfire laps up 1,000ha in six days & keeps spreading

Idukki: The wildfire, which began six days ago at Pazhathottam near Vattavada, at the proposed Kurinji sanctuary site in Kadavari, has destroyed over 1,000 hectares of forest land. A forest department officer said the due to fire, large plantation areas with eucalyptus trees and grasslands were destroyed at Kadavari, Pazhathottam, Melechenduvara and Chenduvara areas.
“The fire at Anaimalai and Pampadumchola national parks are under control and efforts are on to douse the blaze at the proposed Neelakurinji sanctuary. Mostly gutted grasslands, eucalyptus trees are found in this area. Our initial assumption is that over 1,000 hectares were gutted over the past few days,” said the officer, adding that the fires were manmade.

“Encroachers are trying to exempt land located in the areas selected for the proposed sanctuary. On Wednesday, Munnar wild life warden including forest officers narrowly escaped from a forest fire. There was a fire in the sanctuary area last year too, which makes it interesting,” he said.

Environmentalist MN Jayachandran, who is also a member of Kerala state animal welfare board, blamed the land mafia for the forest fire. “This was planned and done by the land mafia who wanted to exempt the area from the proposed Kurinji sanctuary. Fires will negatively impact blossoming of Neelakurinji as the flowering season is once in 12 years. Due to the fire, seeds will be destroyed at the initial stage,” he said.