Forest Fire Incidents in Goa
26-08-2023
12:29 PM
1 min read
What’s in today’s article?
- Why in News?
- What are Forest Fires?
- News Summary Regarding Forest Fire Incidents in Goa
Why in News?
- According to the Goa forest department’s inquiry report, 74 fire incidents were reported in the state in the first fortnight of March.
- The report suggests that a conducive environment and extreme weather conditions - deficient rainfall in the preceding season, unusually high temperatures, low moisture and humidity - led to the fires.
What are Forest Fires?
- Meaning: It is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation.
- Causes: These include natural (lightning, high atmospheric temperatures and low humidity (dryness) and man-made (agricultural practices like Jhum, a source of fire (cigarette, bidi, etc)].
- Types of forest fire:
- Advantages: Helps in the evolution of forests, landscape and disease management, controls the growth of invasive species, etc.
- Disadvantages: Can lead to permanent damage of
- Biodiversity such as loss of flora, fauna, ecological services
- Economic stability of many communities that live in forests, etc.
- Vulnerable areas in India:
- The forest fire season normally extends from November to June in India.
- 62% of Indian states are prone to high-intensity forest fires.
- Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, MP, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and the Northeastern states are most prone to forest fires.
- Mizoram has seen the highest incidence of forest fires over the last two decades, and 95% of its districts are forest fire hotspots.
- There has been a 10-fold increase in forest fire incidences in the last two decades, attributed both to climate change and man-made factors.
- Forest fire mitigation measures:
- It can be prevented through creating Forest Fire Line and removing forest litter all along the line.
- Creating firebreaks or ditches in the forests.
- The Forest Survey of India (FSI) is using satellite imaging technology (like MODIS) to analyse forest fire affected areas and boost prevention.
News Summary Regarding Forest Fire Incidents in Goa:
- History of forest fires in Goa:
- Minor surface fires that burn undergrowth and dead organic matter on the forest floor are common due to the slash-and-burn techniques used by villagers to clear grazing land for cattle.
- Cashew farmers often start minor constrained fires to clear weeds and reduce undergrowth.
- The India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021 published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) classifies 100% of Goa’s forest cover as “less fire prone”.
- Connection between weather/climate change and fires: Very little rain in Goa (since October last year), along with heat-wave-like conditions and low humidity, created conditions that were ripe for forest fires.
- What are environmentalists claiming?
- Vested interests may have lit fires to reduce forest density and clear land for real estate development.
- Some of these fires occurred in areas where activists have been pushing for notifying Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
- Villagers whose forest right claims are yet to be settled, have been involved in clearing forests to expand the area for horticulture.
Q1) What is the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)?
MODIS is a key instrument onboard the Earth Observing System (EOS) Terra and Aqua platforms, designed to monitor the Earth's atmosphere, ocean, and land surface with a set of visible, NIR, MIR, and thermal channels.
Q2) Where is Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary located?
This comparatively new sanctuary area in Goa is located in the Northern Part of the state, near the village of Valpoi. The sanctuary covers a vast area of 208 sq. km. and ensures the protection of the immense biodiversity found in the animal and plant life that resides in the Western Ghats.