E.M. MANOJ
The dry weather is keeping the Forest and Wildlife Department on its toes as the coming summer can touch off fires in the forests of Wayanad.
The dry bamboo groves are posing a serious threat to the wildlife habitat this year, Roy P. Thomas, Wildlife Warden, says. He has proposed to the State Wildlife Board that the dry bamboo inside the sanctuary be uprooted.
The department has taken steps to prevent forest fires in the State and funds will not be a constraint, V. Gopinath, Chief Wildlife Warden, told The Hindu . Construction of fire lines, engaging fire watchers and campaigns to sensitise the public, especially those in the villages on the fringes of the forest, are among the steps.
Close to 348.55 km of fire lines have been erected at a cost of Rs. 52.72 lakh on the borders of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, where wild animals from all over the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve come to slake their thirst during the summer, sources say.
As many as 234 fire protection watchers, 66 of them on permanent service, have been appointed.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/hosing-down-forest-fire-threat/article4334637.ece
Gruelling summer can touch off blaze in the woods
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| Fire work:Forest fire watchers making fire lines on the border of the Chethalayath forest range under the South Wayanad forest division in the district. — Photo: E.M. Manoj. |
The dry weather is keeping the Forest and Wildlife Department on its toes as the coming summer can touch off fires in the forests of Wayanad.
The dry bamboo groves are posing a serious threat to the wildlife habitat this year, Roy P. Thomas, Wildlife Warden, says. He has proposed to the State Wildlife Board that the dry bamboo inside the sanctuary be uprooted.
The department has taken steps to prevent forest fires in the State and funds will not be a constraint, V. Gopinath, Chief Wildlife Warden, told The Hindu . Construction of fire lines, engaging fire watchers and campaigns to sensitise the public, especially those in the villages on the fringes of the forest, are among the steps.
Close to 348.55 km of fire lines have been erected at a cost of Rs. 52.72 lakh on the borders of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, where wild animals from all over the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve come to slake their thirst during the summer, sources say.
As many as 234 fire protection watchers, 66 of them on permanent service, have been appointed.
Source: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/hosing-down-forest-fire-threat/article4334637.ece
