With the outbreak of forest fires in several locations across the State since January, the government is formulating a response plan to wildfires posing a threat to human habitation.
The State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) is maintaining a close watch on forest fires threatening to spin out control. The SDMA is sourcing high resolution satellite images from NASA to detect forest fires that pose a risk to communities and infrastructure.
Member Secretary, SDMA, Sekhar L. Kuriakose said efforts were on to fix the thresholds defining the different levels of threat and formulate standard operating procedures to fight forest fires. He, however, added that the response plan would not duplicate the efforts of the Forest Department. “It would primarily be a last mile response.”
Working with IAF
The SDMA is organising a workshop here in April to finalise the protocols and response plan. The authority is working closely with the Indian Air Force (IAF) and various agencies including the Forest Department, district administration, and the National Disaster Management Authority to imbibe the lessons learnt in controlling forest fires.
“As part of our preparedness, the IAF was asked to procure three scooping buckets. The buckets were recently pressed into service by IAF choppers to dump water on forest fires in Mookkunimala and Parambikulam,” Dr. Kuriakose said.
‘Last resort’
But disaster management experts feel that the use of aircraft is a step to be taken as the last resort to prevent forest fires from reaching human settlements and not a substitute for conventional systems of forest fire management like controlled burning. They point out that understanding the behaviour of forest fire and its effect on the forest ecosystem is critical to a containment strategy.
The government estimates that over 2,000 hectares of forests had been destroyed by fire in Palakkad, Wayanad, Idukki, Malappuram, Thrissur, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvananthapuram districts during January and February.
A meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan earlier this month had resolved to utilise helicopters to fight forest fires. It also decided to set up an inter-State coordination committee to control fires and enlist the support of local bodies, NGOs and settlers along forest borders for prevention of forest fires.
