Sariska Tiger Reserve: Stinging bees, smoke and a steep climb — an uphill battle to control fire

Fresh on their minds are the events of the last few days — when they battled to control a fire that raged through 10 sq km of the reserve. “In many areas, the climb is so steep we have to hold on to branches, otherwise we would slip. Initially, the biggest problem we faced were bees, which came towards us trying to escape the smoke. I got stung and the smoke made us almost suffocate,” says forest guard Ravindra Kirad, who was taking a break before going off to another site to douse the fire.

At this temporary rest stop-cum-base of operations at the Nahar Shakti Dham in the Akbarpur range, a core tiger habitat, reminders of the fire can be found close by.

Just opposite to the temple, smoke billows over the hills overlooking the Akbarpur range, with red flames occasionally visible even under the searing sunlight.

Helicopters of the Indian Air Force make rounds overhead — their loud buzz distracting the rescue teams on the ground for a moment — as water is showered over the spots where the fire is still blazing. The forest department communicates the GPS coordinates of the fire affected areas to the pilots.

“Some of the men also suffered minor injuries while climbing the hills. We continued our efforts till 2am in the night. The steep climb became even more difficult in the dark,” said Gajendra Singh, a Border Home Guard from Jaisalmer, stationed at Sariska.

Civil defence rescue team member Kuldeep Singh Rajput said that at times the on-ground rescuers have to carry fire extinguishers, water canisters and other heavy equipment through the steep slope towards the fire-affected areas.

“We are digging fire lines on the ground and separating dry leaves and grass to contain the fire. Some tree branches are also effective for extinguishing fire through manual beating,” said Manoj Kumar from the forest department.

Sariska deputy conservator of forest (DCF) Sudarshan Sharma told The Indian Express that 300 people including members of the forest guard, SDRF, civil defence, border home guards and local village residents are trying to douse the flames.

“This ancient temple of the Nahaar Shakti Dham has become a base for the rescuers. There is a legend associated with this temple that a tiger once returned the child of a local village woman it meant to kill after listening to her pleas of mercy. We are using the temple as a place to coordinate rescue operations,” said forest ranger Hazarilal Meena.

Sariska Deputy Conservator of Forest Sudarshan Sharma said that 300 people including members of the forest guard, SDRF, civil defence, border home guards and local village residents are trying to douse the flames.

The fire, which started in the evening of March 27, has engulfed an area of around 10 sq km in the Akbarpur range, said DCF Sharma. Sharma added that one advantage was the fact that the fire was mostly concentrated in the hills, which kept the flames away from villages.

The Rajasthan Forest Department has also landed in a controversy after photos from the March 27 — the same day the fire started going viral on social media — show Sariska field director RN Meena driving a forest department vehicle during a safari, pointing out tigers to Anjali Tendulkar, the spouse of cricketer Sachin Tendulkar.

A senior forest official denied any negligence on Meena’s part.

“Eighty per cent of the fire has been brought under control. The area is a steep slope and the only way to extinguish the fire is through manual beating. It is tough to climb the slope. On the first day, honeybees were a big problem. Later, the fire spread because of strong winds. But today, the fire has been brought under control as a result of combined efforts of the IAF helicopters and manual beating team,” said DCF Sharma Wednesday.

Sharma added that two cubs of the ST-17 were spotted on Wednesday, allaying doubts about their safety. Earlier, forest department officials had expressed their concerns over the current state of the tigress and her cubs, as the animals were known to frequent the Akbarpur range where the fire started.

“The area affected by fire is not among the places which are open for visits of tourists. This area is a core area for tigers. Tourist activities at the reserve are continuing,” said Sharma.

Deep Narayan Pandey, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Head of Forest Force), told The Indian Express on Wednesday that forest department officials are ascertaining possible incidents of animal casualties.

The office of the Sariska field director said in a statement on Wednesday that two IAF helicopters have completed 22 rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday in efforts to douse the fire.

“We have managed to bring the fire under control. Even after it is doused, in the next coming days we will continue to monitor the situation and the manual beaters will see that the flames don’t return due to burning twigs and branches,” said HOF Pandey.