HYDERABAD: A Chenchu tribesman admitted at the Osmania General Hospital in Hyderabad after receiving more than 60 per cent burns in a forest fire at Amrabad Tiger Reserve, died on Saturday. The tribesman, N Lingaiah, was admitted to the hospital during the wee hours of March 8, along with three other Chenchus who had also suffered burns in the forest fire that occurred on March 7. The other three are still undergoing treatment.
Lingaiah was around 38 years old and the sole breadwinner of his family. He is survived by his wife and five children. The family is now worried as to how they will go about their life, as Lingaiah used to earn money by mainly taking up NREGA work. Lingaiah’s relatives are demanding that the State government provide financial support to the family.
7,326 forest fires in 10 days
Forest fires are raging across Telangana. In the last 10 days, the State recorded 7,326 forest fires. While the number of forest fires in the State recorded till this year till March 3 was 3,525, it increased to 10,851 on March 13. In Nagarkurnool, where the forest fire that occurred on March 7 resulted in the death of Lingaiah and caused injuries to 10 Chenchus, as many as 1,060 fires have been recorded.
The 10,851 forest fires in the State this year till March 13 have resulted in damages to 10,452 hectares of forest land, as per the data available with Telangana forest department. As on March 3, the 3,525 forest fires had destroyed 3,415 hectares of forest land. A majority of the fires are man-made, according to the forest department.