COIMBATORE: Since Thursday afternoon, three fires that unexpectedly spread throughout several hectares broke out at different points of the Western Ghats, stretching the woodland department’s team of workers to the restrict. About 50 people had been running to place out a large hearth on Marudhamalai.
On Friday, two fires broke out one close to Alandurai, the place 20 team of workers had been deployed, and some other one at Thekkalur in Anaikatti. In the final one month, 23 woodland fires destroyed 36.15ha of woodland area.
While woodland fires are as old as the woodland itself, woodland department and environmentalists stated that their frequency has gone up. “Usually, a spate of fires breaks out between mid-March and mid-May. But in very popular years, we see greater than 10 fires. This yr, they've been greater than customary,” stated K Syed of Osai, who was part of the workforce helping the woodland department put out the fireplace on Marudhamalai. It took them greater than 24 hours to extinguish it.
Madukkarai, Bouluvampatti and Coimbatore circle had been found most susceptible to woodland fires this yr. Madukkarai vary on my own has observed three fires. “We handiest have 60% of the team of workers required to place out the fires,” district woodland officer D Venkatesh instructed TOI.
The woodland department blames the increase in the quantity fires to the severe wintry weather with temperatures shedding to around 15 C, leading to heavy mist, which was adopted through scorching summer time, which began in February and saw temperatures contact 36 C.
“The severe wintry weather adopted through a scorching summer time made the woodland drier than standard,” stated Venkatesh. “Also, miscreants set fires to poromboke lands for a laugh, which stretches to patta land on the fringes and finally the woodland. Some farmers additionally set hearth to their patta lands after the harvest season, which spreads to the forests,” Venkatesh stated.
On Friday, two fires broke out one close to Alandurai, the place 20 team of workers had been deployed, and some other one at Thekkalur in Anaikatti. In the final one month, 23 woodland fires destroyed 36.15ha of woodland area.
While woodland fires are as old as the woodland itself, woodland department and environmentalists stated that their frequency has gone up. “Usually, a spate of fires breaks out between mid-March and mid-May. But in very popular years, we see greater than 10 fires. This yr, they've been greater than customary,” stated K Syed of Osai, who was part of the workforce helping the woodland department put out the fireplace on Marudhamalai. It took them greater than 24 hours to extinguish it.
Madukkarai, Bouluvampatti and Coimbatore circle had been found most susceptible to woodland fires this yr. Madukkarai vary on my own has observed three fires. “We handiest have 60% of the team of workers required to place out the fires,” district woodland officer D Venkatesh instructed TOI.
The woodland department blames the increase in the quantity fires to the severe wintry weather with temperatures shedding to around 15 C, leading to heavy mist, which was adopted through scorching summer time, which began in February and saw temperatures contact 36 C.
“The severe wintry weather adopted through a scorching summer time made the woodland drier than standard,” stated Venkatesh. “Also, miscreants set fires to poromboke lands for a laugh, which stretches to patta land on the fringes and finally the woodland. Some farmers additionally set hearth to their patta lands after the harvest season, which spreads to the forests,” Venkatesh stated.
Tamil Nadu: Forest fires ravage Western Ghats
![Tamil Nadu: Forest fires ravage Western Ghats]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 16, 2019
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