Last year, around this time, Goa’s forests raged with fires. In 10 days – between March 5 and March 15 in 2023 – multiple incidents of blaze across the state had torched 418 hectares of forest land, destroying wildlife habitats, horticulture crops and vast green cover.
The disaster persisted till May as reports of sporadic incidents of fires kept trickling in. It was a morbid spectre never witnessed in the coastal state as its moist deciduous vegetation is reportedly incapable of causing fire easily.
A year down the line, the state’s forests still bear the scars from last year’s burns, a reminder of nature’s fury triggered by its continuous abuse or being taken for granted. That no major fires have been detected till now this year has come as a relief to those keeping a close watch on the situation.
But as the summer sun beats down mercilessly, Goa’s forest officials are on their toes lest the dry leaves start a fire in the 1,271-square-kilometre (sq km) Recorded Forest Area (RFA) – as estimated by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) in its India State of Forest Report, 2021.
That no major fires have been detected till now this year has come as a relief to those keeping a close watch on the situation.
The same report states that 34.33 per cent of the state’s total geographical area of 3,702 sq km has green cover, which is crucial in preserving its ecology and biodiversity. It, therefore, becomes imperative for Goa to ensure its green lungs are not inflamed by any forest blaze.
The good news amidst all this is that most of India’s forests are not very prone to fires. A GIS analysis of the country’s fire-prone forest area published by the FSI in 2019 revealed just 10 per cent of its forests were highly prone to fire.
The other heartening fact is that the most common type of forest fire in India was surface fire, which affects small vegetation, surface litter and loose debris. Such fires are not catastrophic and do not have a drastic impact on a region’s ecology.
One can also take solace in the knowledge that 95 per cent of the blazes in the country are anthropogenic – caused by humans and not natural phenomenon – and, therefore, can be controlled.
Natural fires are caused by lightning, rolling stones, friction of dry bamboos and stems of trees. Atmospheric temperature and low humidity can also set a forest ablaze. For Goa, 99.95 per cent of its forests are ‘less fire prone’, implying a remote chance of them erupting in flames due to natural causes.
The other heartening fact is that the most common type of forest fire in India was surface fire, which affects small vegetation, surface litter and loose debris.
It’s only in recent years that the tally of forest blazes in the state has shot up. Last year’s spurt in number of fires was recorded after 15 fires in 2021-22. Forest officials said there were few “small fires” brought to their notice this year but they were promptly “doused”.
In fact, the FSI has been extensively using geospatial tech tools and techniques for management of forest fires. It has been using satellite-based sensors for standardised early warning alerts on weather forecast and forest fires, which are shared with state forest departments to reduce response time to such disasters.
These warnings or alerts are disseminated to the respective state forest departments – right from the forest guards to the principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) – in near real time. Despite the swift data collection and dissemination, there is still a lag of 15 to 20 minutes. Therefore, it’s really the forest guards who stand sentinel to protect the forests.
If the forest officials are to be believed then one of the reasons fewer and minor forest fires were detected this year was because the forests rangers were constantly interacting with the communities living in the close vicinity of the forests.
In normal times, there is reinforcement from the police. However, with the approaching elections, at present, the forest guards are all by themselves.
If the forest officials are to be believed then one of the reasons fewer and minor forest fires were detected this year was because the forests rangers were constantly interacting with the communities living in the close vicinity of the forests and educating them on precautionary measures for preventing forest fires.
They were hard at work during Holi and other festivals involving fire rituals; not by stopping them from celebrating but ensuring they adopted safe methods for lighting fires.
But the forest fire tale has many layers and intrigues. Beyond the slivers of light slicing through its canopy, it’s as dark and deep as a thick jungle.