NAGPUR: Most of it is red and less green. The satellite imagery obtained from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) on Sunday shows how forests are on fire, causing huge habitat destruction for wildlife and damage to our environment that will aggravate problems caused by climate change.
According to FSI statistics, Maharashtra continues to be one of the leading forest fire-prone state with a number of fire incidents doubling from 22,499 in 2019 to 44,809 in 2021. These fire alerts are mostly for the period from January to March.
“The year 2020 was a silver lining with overall 6,342 alerts owing to rains. All these fires are man-made ahead of season for tendu plucking and mahua flowers collection,” said senior forest officials.
Gadchiroli circle, where tendu leaves interest is high, tops with 16,800 fire alerts, followed by Thane (5,857), Chandrapur (4,847), Kolhapur (4,616), Nagpur (2,270), Pune (1,850) and Yavatmal (1,581).
Fires are being reported from even tiger reserves and sanctuaries that are considered to be most protected. There were 1,028 fire alerts in Wildlife (East) consisting of Tadoba, Pench, Bor and Navegaon-Nagzira in 2021.
State wildlife board member Kishor Rithe said, “The data of fire monitoring shows zero fires in 2020 at several places. This may be due to stringent lockdown last year. Though fire season in Vidarbha starts in February, most of the fires occur in March ahead of the tendu season. The 2021 fire data portrays a grim picture and calls for a need to tighten protection mechanism in the areas where there is an increase in fires as the next two months are crucial.”
According to environmentalist Suresh Chopne, forest fires no more remain confined to damaging only forest and wildlife. “Its environmental damage cannot be calculated in monetary terms. The large-scale fires expose chink in the armour of the forest department. Fires are largely of anthropogenic origin and therefore preventable to a large extent. Despite spending crores of rupees on prevention and getting real-time alerts, the state forest department has failed to control them.”
“Chandrapur district is already the most polluted district in the country due to polluting industries and coal mines. These forest fires increase air pollution. The district exceeds in particulate matter and forest fires will further worsen the situation, causing trouble for villagers,” said Chopne.
According to various studies, said Chopne, the annual losses from forest fires for the entire country have been moderately estimated at Rs450-500 crore. “This estimate does not include the loss suffered in the form of biodiversity, nutrient and soil moisture, and other intangible benefits,” he said.
Eco-Pro president Bandu Dhotre said, “There are many forest fires this year. This raises doubts whether fire protection works were done or not owing to funds crunch. There are several fires at one spot and seems to be an act of revenge.”
“These fires have affected plantations and vegetation in a big way. From an ecological point of view, these fires are dangerous. High smoke concentrations can also be a very serious matter, particularly near homes of people with respiratory illnesses or near healthcare facilities,” said Dhotre.
Sources said Bramhapuri division witnessed huge fires affecting tigers and their prey. “I have sighted a couple of tigers leaving the Sindewahi forest area in search of safe heaven as their habitat has been completely gutted near a canal in recent surface fires,” said sources.