Forest fires’ frequency, intensity went up in past 2 decades: study

The study, ‘Managing Forest Fires in a Changing Climate’, found that there has been a ten-fold increase in forest fires in the past two decades, and that more than 62 per cent of Indian states are prone to high-intensity forest fires.

In the last month alone, significant forest fires have been reported in states such as Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The recent fire at Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve was also considered to have been unseasonal, with high temperatures exacerbating the spread of the fire.

The CEEW study also found that Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Maharashtra are the most prone to high-intensity forest fire events caused by rapid change in climate.

“The recent incident at Sariska forest reserve was the fourth forest fire in that week. Earlier, forest fires would take place during the summer months, that is between May and June. Now, during spring, between March and May, because of climatic changes, we have started seeing many more forest fires. This means the duration that forest fires could take place was two to three months earlier, but it is now nearly six months,” said lead author of the report, Abinash Mohanty, who is programme lead at CEEW.

A Forest Survey of India report in 2019 found that 36 per cent of forest cover in India falls in zones that are prone to forest fires.

According to the CEEW study, more than 75 per cent of Indian districts are extreme climate event hotspots, and more than 30 per cent of districts are extreme forest fire hotspots.

The study also found that Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and northeastern states are most prone to forest fires.

Mizoram has had the highest number of forest fire incidences in the last two decades, with more than 95 per cent of its districts being forest fire hotspots, according to the study.

“Our analysis suggests that most of the NER (northeastern region), including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Tripura, barring Sikkim, are witnessing an increased frequency of forest fire incidences in recent decades…despite the NER being a rain-fed area, it is witnessing more forest fire incidences during increased dry spells across March-May and due to the muddled rainfall distribution pattern,” the study said.

The study also found that districts that were earlier flood prone have now become drought prone due to a “swapping trend” as a result of climatic changes. Districts such as Kandhamal (Odisha), Shoepur (Madhya Pradesh), Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand) and East Godavari (Andhra Pradesh) have now also become fire hotspots.

The report recommended that forest fires be treated as “natural disasters” and be brought under the National Disaster Management Authority.

“Unlike cyclones, floods and earthquakes, which are big disasters, forest fires are not categorised as a natural disaster. This means that managing these fires fall under the purview of forest departments, which are understaffed and do not have the capacity to handle them. But the NDMA does. Moreover, by designating forest fires as natural disasters, there will also be a financial allotment made to manage them,” Mohanty said.