Rain saves forests from fire this summer

BENGALURU: Copious pre-monsoon rain has reduced the risk of forest fires in the state this summer. In the past two months, Karnataka has seen no major incident, according to the forest department.
Though areas in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve, Madikeri and Turahalli near Bengaluru witnessed small fires in March, the state has been receiving rainfall at regular intervals April onwards. Bandipur, where fires have ravaged large swathes of forests in the past, hasn’t seen an incident this time.
Senior forest officer Manoj Kumar said nature has favoured forests this season. “April-May is the peak season for forest fires. But this time, we have been lucky, thanks to good spells of pre-monsoon showers. Our department was well prepared to fight forest fires, and rain has only made our task easier. Fire lines were cleared well in advance and necessary equipment was put in place to address emergencies,” he added.
It may be recalled that a guard in Bandipur had died while dousing a forest fire last year. Though early March saw a major fire at Dodda Byranakuppe in Nagarahole Tiger Reserve during which a forest officer was killed by an elephant, no major incident has been reported after that.
Even fire alerts from the Forest Survey of India (FSI) have reduced for Karnataka as compared to other states. This is a deviation from the norm as Karnataka usually features among the top five states in terms of fire alerts every year, along with Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In 2017, Karnataka saw 350% more forest fires than three years ago.
A senior forest officer from Bandipur Tiger Reserve said pre-monsoon showers have increased the water level in ponds and waterholes in the forest area. “Enough water in the reserve means wild animals need not cover long distances or migrate to other forests like Kabini. Even tourists are happy as they are sighting more wild animals these days,” he added.
According to officials with the meteorological department, almost all districts have received more than the normal pre-monsoon showers beginning March 1. “In places like Madikeri, Hassan, Mangaluru, Dharwad, Bengaluru, Chitradurga and Davanagere, the departure is more than 100mm,” said an official.