The Forest Department in Palakkad has stepped up its vigil against fires, especially in the wake of the death of three watchers in a forest fire in Thrissur a few days ago.
The department is procuring safety equipment such as masks and fire-resistant jackets for the watchers. Better equipment is expected not only to help the watchers manage the fires more effectively but also instil more confidence in them.
The fire tender available with the Forest Department in the Palakkad division is put to best use in hot season. “We drench the vulnerable areas using our fire tender. No fire has been reported from South Malampuzha, a sensitive area where we watered this year with the fire tender,” said Palakkad Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Narendranath Veluri.
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Forest officials have done ‘early burning’ at a fairly good level as part of keeping wild fires at bay. About 200 ha of dried up forestland was cleared in Palakkad division by way of early burning.
Early burning is usually done before the season becomes too hot. “Once it is too hot, we will not be able to control it,” said Mr. Veluri. In the Mannarkkad and Nemmara divisions too, nearly 500 ha was subjected to early burning. “By early burning, we are removing the fuel for the forest fires,” said Mr. Veluri.
A fire mock drill is being planned for the watchers next week involving the personnel of the Fire and Rescue Services. State’s experienced firemen will monitor the drill and suggest directions to improve the response system.
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DFO K.K. Sunil Kumar said the Mannarkkad division was focussing on awareness creation against forest fires. More than three dozen awareness camps had already been held and more were in the offing. Mannarkkad suffered extensive fires last year, consuming hundreds of acres of forestland. The fire at Malleswaran Peak at Attappady had even brought the Indian Air Force choppers to douse it.
Mr. Sunil Kumar, however, expects not much damage this season. “From my last 20 years of experience, I could find dry spells every eight years. We had one in 2002-03, followed by another in 2010-11, and another in 2018-19. Going by this, I don’t think we will have a devastating fire this year,” he said.
However, he did not hide his worries about the lack of rain in January and February. “Whenever we got some rain in January and February, we used to have fewer fires. This time I am worried that we did not get any rain in January and February,” he said.