BARIPADA: The Mayurbhanj administration along with Forest department and police on Thursday organised a meeting to formulate an action plan to prepare in advance to tackle forest fires with the winter setting in.
Chaired by collector Hema Kanta Say, the meeting discussed ways to tackle forest inferno which engulf vast areas of Similipal every year besides causing loss of valuable flora and fauna.
The collector said Similipal, being a tropical semi-evergreen and humid mixed forest, experiences shedding of leaves from December to March. “Many parts of the forest become dry during this period making it prone to catching fire easily. Once a fire occurs in a certain part of the forest, it eventually spreads across other areas and becomes difficult to contain,” he said.
In a bid to tackle such wildfire, the meeting stressed on conducting awareness campaigns in different villages to sensitise local residents of the same. Competitions on photography and video creation will be organised and youths encouraged to participate to share information about forest fire on social media. This apart, football competitions will also be conducted as part of the awareness drive. The collector emphasised on time-to-time posting of such activities on social media.
Baripada divisional forest officer (DFO) A Uma Mahesh pointed out that poor awareness among local villagers, shifting cultivation practices, burning of paddy stubble, poaching of animals, unauthorised encroachment of forest space, collection of mahua flowers and other forest produce were some of the most common reasons behind forest fires.
“As per report, Similipal comprises around 1,300 sq km of dense forest, 1,717 sq km of medium forest and 1,042 sq km of open forest where at least 973 fire points have been identified. Most forest fires are a result of human activities,” the DFO said.
To prevent such incidents, fire lines across 7731.54 sq km of forest land will be laid down, the DFO informed.
This apart, like every year, the Forest department will conduct road shows, drama, traditional art forms like Pala and Dasakathia to sensitise residents of fringe villages on forest fires. Such activities will be taken up in across 734 villages located close to Similipal biosphere reserve. For the purpose, the meeting decided to rope in various self-help groups, local PRI members, and volunteers at block level. Around 54 workshops will be held to train these personnel on effectively carrying out the awareness activities, the meeting informed.
SP Varun Guntupalli, deputy directors of Similipal (North) and South wildlife divisions Sai Kiran and Samrat Gowda respectively, chief development officer Santanu Kumar Nayak, district emergency officer Sushree Shraddha Suman and ACFs from different forest divisions attended the meeting.