Highest Number of Forest Fires in Odisha in the past season

Ministry traces maximum number of forest fires in the state of Odisha…get the details

Wednesday, 4th August 2021

The net number of forest fires recorded in the state of Odisha between the time span of November 2020 and June 2021 was 51, 968- the highest in the country for that time period, as per the statement of Bhupender Yadav, minister for forest, environment, and climatic changes in the Union Government. 345, 989 Forest fires in total were recorded countrywide. The losses brought to Odisha by the forest fires haven’t yet been analyzed by the Union Ministry.

After Odisha came to Madhya Pradesh with about 47, 795 forest fires. Next was Chhattisgarh (38, 106) followed by the states of Maharashtra (34, 025), Jharkhand (21, 713), Uttarakhand (21, 487), Andhra Pradesh (19, 328), Telangana (18, 237), Mizoram (12, 846), Assam (10, 718) and the state of Manipur (10, 457) during that period as stated the minister.

Incidents of forest fires that take place each year during the summer months triggered anthropogenic and natural reasons, including the collection of highly inflammable materials like pine needles, twigs, and dry leaves.

Most of these forest-based fires in India are actually ground-level fires initially thereby burning down low, near-to-ground vegetations.

In the year 2017, the Forest Survey of India (FSI), an organization controlled by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, launched a totally automated as well as satellite-based ‘forest fire monitoring and alert system’ for the purpose of effective and flawless monitoring of the forest-based fires at the national level.

Also Read: India skips key climate change meeting months before UN meeting.

This was further equipped with and empowered by the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership-Visible coupled with Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite sensor-run info system. The forest fire alerts are disseminated via SMS as well as email to the field staff of the forest departments of the state. 

At present, there are nearly 130, 000 users registered for this particular service in India, said the minister.

Forest fire prevention and management’s responsibility lies mainly with the state and a Union territory as land is basically a matter of the state.

The Union ministry is likely to support the states’ or UTs’ efforts in preventing and controlling forest fires by offering monetary help for the same. This includes funding of various preventive measures such as setting up of fire lines, setting up of water storage systems, posting the fire watchers, procuring of fire extinguishing tools and equipment, forest infrastructure strengthening, moisture, and soil conservation, incentivizing the villages, awareness generation, etc.

The FSI has undertaken multiple steps for improving the alert system for forest fires. It urged the states / UTs for increasing the total number of users registered for this fire alert system. 

The News Talkie Bureau

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