MADIKERI: With summer fast approaching, the forest department is set to draw fire lines over 2000 kilometres to control accidental forest fires. As confirmed by the officials, additional staff of 400 forest watchers have been deployed to draw fire lines across the over 840 sq km area of Nagarahole Sanctuary.
They will also tend to any emergency during a fire breakout.
The department has readied equipment including tankers mounted on jeeps, sprayers and other necessary machinery to fight the breakout of forest fires. In eight ranges across the Nagarhole belt, fire lines have been drawn adding up to 2500 km inside and by the forest fringes. Watch towers have been raised in sensitive zones even as drones will be used to frequently monitor any fire breakout.
The department sources also confirmed that water is being filled with the help of tractors in the lakes inside the forest region to support wildlife.
In the Virajpet division, a total of 1012 km of fire line has been drawn including the regions of Makutta forest range.
“Five teams have been deployed to keep a check on any untoward incident. The work for fire lines began in December,” confirmed Sharanabasappa, Virajpet DCF.
In the Anekaad region of the Somwarpet division, the foresters were seen drawing fire lines across the forest fringe touching the NH 275 Kushalnagar-Mysuru road.
Madikeri DCF Bhaskar confirmed that the department is also keeping track of denotified forest regions too where forest fires are usually reported.