The word “fire”
evolved from the Greek word
“pyra” meaning growing embers. Fire is
actually the heat and the light that
results when three elements i.e. fuel,
oxygen and the source are combined. The
other elements, which determine the
behavior of the fire, are weather, the landscape and the presence of the fuel.
Recent
forest fire in Australia has been alarmed the world, this can be understood,
need urgent measures in combating forest fire
which highly impacted the ecosystem. Let us see how India prepared
forest fire.
Why forests fire?
Forest fire may
be defined as an unclosed and freely spreading combustion that consumes the natural fuels. Combustion. More than ninety five
percent forest fires are caused either
by negligence or unknowingly by the human being. The rest of the fires are
caused by natural reasons i. e. lightning, extreme rise in the temperature
etc., which are very rare. In general all over the world the main causes of forest fires are anthropogenic. According
to FAO report “Fire Management- Global Assessment ”, regional estimates of
human induced forest fires as follows:
a.
Mediterranean- 95%
b.
South Asia 90 %
c.
South America 85
d.
North America 80 %
e.
Balkan countries 59 %
The
natural causes of forest fires are common in remote areas only.
.
.
Causes
of forest Fire :
..
Adverse
impacts of forest fire:
· Forest
fires are a major cause of degradation of forests/environment.
· Loss
of valuable timber resourcesForest fires cause indispensable loss to timber and
deteriorate its quality. Valuable timber species like teak, sal, chir, deodar,
sheesam , rosewood etc. are adversely affected by fire.
· Impact
of forest fire on eco- system:The uncontrolled fires in such areas help in
spreading pine forest at the cost of indigenous oak forest, which is very
serious threat to the ecological balance.
· Degradationofwatercatchmentsareasresultingintolossofwater-After
forest fire, soil moisture is decreased and litter decomposition becomes almost
negligible, which creates a possibility of forest fire in future.
· Loss
of wildlife habitat and depletion of wildlife- Forests are the habitat of many
wild animals.Forest fire dramatically impacts the animal.
· Loss
of natural vegetation and reduction of forest cover- As a result of fires,
millions of hectares of the forest area turn to ashes and remains of no use.
· Global
warming- One of the major culprits of climate change is forest fire. The
immediate effect of vegetation burning is the production and release of gases
including carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, methane, non-methane hydrocarbons,
nitric oxide, methyl chloride and various other gases, which are released and
returned to the atmosphere in a matter of hours.
· Socio-economic
impact- Fire is a major factor of destruction of human settlement and often
causes deterioration of site by subsequent increased erosion.
..
The
Government of India took numbers of the progressive steps for protection,
preservation and management of forests fires, including:
I.
The Indian Forest Service was revived in 1966 to ensure co-ordinated
professional management of Forests.
2.
government initiated National plan forest fire management. :considers Forest
Fire Management as an integral component of forest management planning,
3.Since
the year 2005, FSI has been monitoring forest fires across the country using
inputs received from MODIS satellite system, a joint collaboration of NASA.
4.Institutional
Setup for Forest Fire Management and stakeholders coordination. example :the
Forest Protection Division, headed by Inspector General (IG) level officer
looks after the forest fire management work at National level with the
cooperation of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
5:Policy
framework :Develop/ update forest fire manuals for field staff guiding them in
simple way to detect/ report about and suppress forest fire.
6.
Assess and monitor forest fire risks and enhance sustainable application of
warning systems :Increased capacity in generating relevant warning, increased
understanding of warning systems by forest management functionaries and
sustained support and coordination between the partner organizations
7
Knowledge management, capacity building and awareness generation:Use knowledge
and training to build a culture of innovation, safety and resilience, and
institutionalize training on FFM for Forest Department, other role players and
also at community levels.Example:Central Fire Management Research and Training
Institute.
8
Technical options for forest fire management:Increased capacity to manage
forest fire, involving community and using a variety of tested technical
interventions.
Systematic
Strategic planning effective forest management :
· Publicity
and extension- Covering preparation of publication/extension material e.g.
pamphlets, handouts, circulars, posters and media programs through TV, radio,
video tapes, etc.
· Training
and education- Designing syllabus for planning, management and ground level
firefighting courses in Forestry Institutions.
· Strengthening
of organizational framework- Though appropriate modification and alteration in
State Forest Departments’ structural framework and providing sufficient human
power.
· Research
and development, by strengthening the existing and introducing new R&D
institutions dealing with forest fire management.
· Establishment
of National Forest Fire Danger Rating System- Designing uniform.
· Contious
Monitoring, evaluation and updating prescription- Designing uniform formats for
reporting, monitoring and evaluation.
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