Section: Disaster Management
Title: Forest fires
Relevance: GS 3
Why has this article been published?
Forest fires in India increased 1.5 times over six years to 35,888 incidents, according to government data submitted to Parliament on 20 July, 2018.
Why has forest fires increased recently?
- Experts believe that long dry periods, especially during winter and the pre-monsoon period, caused by increased warming, is a significant factor for more fires.
- The annual mean temperature in India has increased by 1.2o C since the beginning of the 20th century.
- Most forest fires happen when the moisture is low in the soil and atmosphere, which leads to dry combustible material on the forest floor.”
- 13 out of the 15 warmest years were during the past 15 years (2002-2016). The last decade (2001-2010/ 2007-2016) was also the warmest on record.
The vicious cycle
The warming and increase in forest fires create a vicious cycle. When vegetation burns, the resulting release of stored carbon increases global warming. More fires, more carbon dioxide released, more warming, and more warming, more fires.
Main agent of Forest Fires
More than 90% of forest fires are caused by human beings, deliberately (for personal gains or rivalry) or due to negligence or accident.
Occurrences of forest fires
- During 1990-2011, the worst wildfires occurred in Uttarakhand in 1995, when 375,000 ha were burnt, followed by the Ganga-Yamuna watershed area (1999, 80,000 ha), Himachal Pradesh (2010, 19,109 ha), and two fires in Maharashtra in 2008 and 2010 that affected some 10,000 ha.
- March-May is the peak fire season for most states.
The vegetation is also responsible
- Pine needles in pine forests found in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are highly inflammable due to high resin content.
- Like pine forests, eucalyptus trees are also susceptible to fires due to their oil content, said Bhushan from CSE.
The north east is vulnerable too
- While states such as Uttarakhand have seen major forest fires, the northeast has recorded an increased number of incidents over the six-year period to 2017.
- The north-eastern states of Mizoram and Assam have repeatedly featured among the top five states with the most forest fires in six years to 2017.
- Meghalaya and Manipur are the other states from the region to record high number of forest fires during the period.
- The north-eastern states have almost double the number of fire incidents annually compared to central states though the area under forest cover is comparatively less in the north-east region vis-a-vis central India.
Government Funds for Forest Protection Declined
- Despite a 125% increase in forest fires between 2015-17, funds released to states and union territories for forest protection measures declined 21% to Rs 34.5 crore.
- The earlier intensification of forest management scheme (IFMS) was replaced with the forestfire prevention and management (FPM) scheme in 2017.
Conclusion
There is a need to maintain the integrity of the landscape as development in these regions is cross-cutting ecosystems. Decisions by the governments should be decentralized and involve the community.
