JEYPORE: The increasing forest fire incidents in tribal-dominated Koraput district have given sleepless nights to forest officials for the last several days.
Sources said forest fire was reported near Gadapadar village under Jeypore forest range recently. As the fire started spreading in the dense forests of the range and reached near some habitations, it created panic among the villagers. The villagers informed the Forest Range officer and sought help. Later, the Forest department brought the fire under control with the help of fire personnel and locals.
Sources said some locals are deliberately setting the forests on fire to chase away wild animals and sometimes for slash-and-burn farming.
They turn heaps of dry leaves and forest wood into ashes, which are used for growing crops, by setting it on fire. This method is used for clearing forest land for farming where the existing vegetation is cut down and burnt before new seeds are sown. This is resulting in massive deforestation in the reserve forest areas.
According to sources, heaps of dry leaves and forest wood were found across the reserve forest areas as well as hills in Koraput, Jeypore, Narayanpatana, Lamtaput, Boipariguda, Ramigir, Kotpad, Borigumma and Laxmipur forest ranges.
These forest produces are not collected either by locals or officials concerned. Though there is a norm that the Forest and Environment department should burn forest waste in the presence of officials to facilitate growth of new plants, it is hardly seen in the region.
The locals set the forest waste on fire on their own causing massive damage to green cover. Even plantations undertaken by the Forest department and the social organisations have been destroyed due to fire.
About 30 per cent forest cover of the district were affected by forest fire from February to April last year, sources added.
Expressing concern over the issue, green activist S Prahand said the Forest department must take effective steps to control forest fire.