COIMBATORE: Unlike previous years, no forest fire was reported in Madukkarai forest range this summer despite the scorching heat, thanks to regular perambulation work, camping of forest department staff in vulnerable areas and creating awareness among villages on the forest boundaries.
Madukkarai forest range is spread over 7,975.87 hectares and a total of 40 staff were involved in forest fire control measures on shift basis.
According to data accessed by TNIE, six forest fires were reported in Madukkarai 2021, one in 2022, three in 2023 and nil in 2024. Out of seven forest ranges in Coimbatore division, except in Madukkarai, fire was reported in Coimbatore, Boluvampatti, Periyanacikenpalayam, Karamadai Sirumugai and Mettupalayam ranges.
An officer in Madukkarai forest range said, “We managed to see summer off without any forest fire despite the scorching heat. Natural water sources in Iyyasamy temple and Vettumadavu etc in our range had dried. Thankfully. it has been raining in the last one week. Along with our six staff, we engaged few tribal people in perambulation work to prevent forest fires. We set up a camp at Parapatti which is one of the vulnerable areas. We stayed atop this hillock for two days a week and monitored the area.”
He added “Most of the forest fire spread from a patta land where farmers cut grass for cattle. We doused fire in the land and prevented it from spreading to the forest.”
Further, he said use of drones helped in preventing forest fires at the interior forest areas. It may be recalled that an IAF helicopter was deployed to douse a fire that broke out at Perumalkovilpathy near Alandurai in the range last year.