By Arjun Garg and Shrutika Garg
India is a biodiversity rich zone abundant with diverse flora and fauna. Fire has been a part of India’s landscape since time immemorial and can play an essential role in regenerating trees and removing invasive weeds and pathogens. Controlled manmade fires are lit throughout the world, including India. However as the population and demands on forest resources have grown, the cycle of fire has spun out of balance.
Forest fires can be both, natural and man-made. Large areas of degraded forest are often subjected to burning, giving rise to the problem of mismanagement of forest fires. Highly affected States include Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand, as forests are abundant in these regions. The mismanagement stems from a serious lack of manpower and an ill-equipped forest staff. Another reason is the paucity of funds allocated by the Central Government to control forest fires despite a steep increase in such incidents.
The author himself has witnessed the rage of a forest fire which occurred in March-April 2021 in the Bandhavgarh National Park (Tiger Reserve ) in Madhya Pradesh. The fire was massive and the result was devastating. Many wild animals were seen on the road in a burnt/semi burnt condition and looking extremely distressed. While they had managed to escape the fire, they had lost their habitat. What was surprising was that the management of the National Park did not curtail or stop the tourism activity immediately but permitted it to continue. In fact, the author first witnessed the fire just when he was entering the jungle for an afternoon safari and despite repeated apprehensions, the staff kept assuring that there was no serious problem.
What ensued was a painful journey within the forest, amid burning trees and smoke coming out from all corners. The widely circulated rumours indicate that the fire was man-made….
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