COIMBATORE: Summer is yet to peak, but personnel in the Coimbatore division forest department have already started sweating it out as a few forest fires broke out at Devarayapuram in Boluvampatti range and Perumalmudi in Coimbatore range recently.
They hope that the summer of 2025 would not be the same as 2023, when Coimbatore forest division recorded 11 fires, the highest in the last four years, that destroyed 146.95 hectares of forest area. Since 2021, 44 forest fires have occurred, including five till February 28 this year. More than 170.05 hectares of forest has been destroyed.
Staff in the command centre functioning at the district forest office are closely monitoring fire alerts sent by Forest Survey of India (FSI) based on satellite imaging and pass them to the range officer concerned.
After identifying the areas vulnerable for fire in the last four years, the staff cleared ground vegetation for 400km up to 6 and 12 metres in length so that in the event of a fire breaking out, it would not spread. Vulnerable spots have been identified in Sirumugai, Mettupalayam, Karamadai, Coimbatore, Madukkarai, Boluvampatti, and Periyanaickenpalayam forest ranges.
“We have created a 12-m fire line on the TN-Kerala border and 6-m fire line in all ranges in Coimbatore, which is spread over 69,000 hectares. Besides, alerts from the command centre, field-level staff are also monitoring the fire incidents through watchtowers. Camera traps have been fixed at several places in the division to monitor wild animals. This year, we have procured two drones, and protective equipment for personnel putting out fires,” said District Forest Officer N Jayaraj.
Apart from detecting the aggressiveness of a fires, the drones will deliver food and water to firefighters. Each drone has a capacity to hold 7.5kg of weight and can be operated for five - six hours continuously.
Forest staff are also sensitising people who visit Velliangiri Hill, Covai Courtallam, and Baralikkadu and sought their cooperation in keeping the forests safe. D Venkatesh, Conservator of Forest and Field Director of ATR said,“We are sensiting cattle owners not to burn dried grass to cultivate afresh for their cattle.”