Forest fire burnt 20,587 sq km area in NE in 2023-24

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: The total area of land burned during the forest fire season in the Northeast region, including Assam, is a major cause of concern. In the period from November 2023 to June 2024, the eight NE states had a total burnt land area of 20,587 sq km.

Among the NE states, Assam occupies the second spot in the total burnt area, with 419.20 sq km burned by forest fires. Meghalaya holds the dubious record of the highest burnt land area in the NE, with 463.95 sq km in the same period.

According to statistics from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, the other NE states, barring Assam and Meghalaya, have the following burnt area: 126.03 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh, 285.20 sq km in Manipur, 243.76 sq km in Mizoram, 161.77 sq km in Nagaland, 2.08 sq km in Sikkim, and 190.47 sq km in Tripura.

In the forest fire season between November 2023 and June 2024, a total land area of 34,562.33 sq km was burned down across the country.

Forest fires in India are a recurring challenge arising from both natural causes, such as high temperatures, prolonged dry spells and lightning, as well as human-induced factors, including shifting cultivation, deliberate burning for fodder and accidental ignition. These risks are further aggravated by rising temperatures, erratic rainfall patterns and increased accumulation of dry fuel load, particularly in hill regions and dry deciduous forests. Forest protection, including prevention and management of forest fires, primarily rests with the concerned state governments and union territory administrations.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change monitors forest fire incidents through the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun, which issues satellite-based Pre-Forest Fire Alerts, Near Real-Time Forest Fire Alerts, and Large Forest Fire Alerts to the State Forest Departments. The Ministry also supports the States in taking timely mitigation, control, and post-fire management measures.

Further, a real-time nationwide remote-sensing and alert system has been operationalized by FSI for all states, including high-risk regions such as Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Uttarakhand. FSI also conducts biennial forest resource assessments under the ISFR series and has carried out a national-level burnt area assessment for the 2023-24 forest fire season.

The North Eastern Space Applications Centre (NESAC) at Umiam, Meghalaya, had earlier conducted a study labelled 'Forest Fire Assessment in Northeast India' and gave certain recommendations and mitigation measures. These can be summed up as follows: (i) Tree lines or fire break lines may be a mandatory activity for slash and burn cultivation in the region to prevent the spread of fire. The number of fire break lines may be increased depending on the vulnerability of spread in bamboo areas or dry deciduous forests; (ii) Dried leaves and debris may be collected before setting up a fire around the vulnerable forest areas, particularly along the protected areas. In states such as Meghalaya, pine needles may be collected before fire season. These needles may in turn be used as a fuel source, as they have high calorific value due to high resin content; (iii) Protected areas such as national parks, sanctuaries, etc., may be provided with sufficient fire watchtowers and may be well equipped with fire extinguishers and water storage tanks in case of emergency; (iv) Creation of awareness among the public regarding forest fires and their associated risks to human life, global warming, economic and biodiversity loss; and (v) Policy may be made to divert shifting cultivation to alternative agricultural activities or economic activities to reduce deforestation of forests.

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