Local communities can help officials prevent forest fires
The draft state action plan for climate change 2040 has expressed the fear that Goa could witness a big rise in the number of forest fires by the year 2040. The rise in forest fires would be caused by rising temperatures that could hit 40 degrees Celsius by that year. A study has said that Goa’s forests were vulnerable to fires due to climate change and that increase in temperature will lead to intensification of forest fires in Goa. It has been projected that temperature in Goa was expected to rise by three to four degrees and that ecological systems were vulnerable to these changes. Incidentally Goa has witnessed an increase in forest fires in the summer months between 2016 and 2019. Statistically, 153.2 hectares of forests were burnt during the extreme wildfire season of 2016-17, where there were 92 fire incidents. Similarly, in 2017-18, there were 47 fire breakouts which burnt an area of 130.80 hectares of forests. In 2018-19, there were 38 fires causing damages to nearly 113.29 hectares of forest land.
Studies conducted in other parts of the world have found a strong connection between climate change and wildfires. The wildfire scene in the world is changing perilously, particularly in the western parts, as conditions become hotter and drier due to climate change. And as the forests burn, they release carbon dioxide and other global warming gases, worsening climate change. It has been proven that when wildfires burn more land, emissions go up. Goa is also slowly but steadily witnessing this phenomenon. The Forest Survey of India said in a report in 2019 that nearly 1,926 sq kilometre of forest cover in the state was prone to forest fires of less to moderate intensity. However, there is no documentary evidence so far to enunciate as to whether the forest fire breakouts in the state increased due to heat or human activities. The scientists have linked the phenomenon to climate change so far. “The trend depicts the vulnerability of Goa’s forests to fires and this can get exasperated due to climate change by 2040; expect more wildfires in the years ahead,” the FSI has warned.
It is widely believed that most forest fires are caused by negligent human beings who throw lit cigarettes and bidi butts as they move along in the forests – both government and private. There are also cases of some unscrupulous elements deliberately setting forest on fires for various reasons, including settling scores with officials or individuals. There is also the possibility of snapped power lines causing forest fires. It has to be noted that forest fires not only destroy vegetation but also kill and displace wildlife, alter water cycles and soil fertility, and endanger the lives and livelihoods of local communities. Besides, the forest fires lead to spread air pollution not only in the immediate vicinity but hundreds of kilometres away, causing breathing difficulties among the people who may include even healthy individuals. The air pollution caused by wildfires is likely to affect children, older people and those with heart disease, diabetes, asthma, COPD and other lung diseases most.
The government should take serious cognizance of SAPCC 2020 report that suggested a multipronged strategy involving both prevention and timely effective measures to control forest fires. Accordingly, a state-level action plan to prevent and fight fires should be prepared, together with setting up of an efficient task force of forest staff and fire watchers. This task force should be provided regular training and capacity building measures supported by adequate communication and firefighting equipment. The focus should be on preventing forest fires by taking mitigating measures like periodic demarcation of new fire lines, cleaning of fire lines, removal of dry bamboo and other inflammable materials from forest floors, controlled burning and strengthening of communication network and infrastructure. The people living in the immediate vicinity of forests should be taken on board to prevent fires and sensitised on the need to prevent fires in the forests. They should also be enlisted for maintaining vigilance over the suspicious activities of the unscrupulous elements to save ecology and prevent damage to economic activities.