Forest fires singe Telangana wildlife sanctuaries

HYDERABAD: Telangana is presently grappling with forest fires in Tadvai region of Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary in Mulugu and Amrabad Tiger Reserve. For last five days, the fires in Eturnagaram sanctuary have be-en raging, posing a serious risk to wildlife across Tadvai, Lingala, Medaram, Pedda Venkatapur and Shapally.

Telangana principal chief conservator of forests R M Dobriyal said on any given day the state sees an average 100-120 fire spots. "Fire season has started. Usually, it is from March and continues till June. We get regular real-time alerts from the Forest Survey of India based on ground heat mapping. We do some GIS-based vetting and rush teams to the spot. In some cases, the terrain is so difficult that it takes three to four hours to reach," he told TOI.

He said often those who come for fishing in the river start fires while cooking food. Even local tribes such as Chenchus collecting mahua flowers for making country liquor or medicinal purposes burn trees to make it easy to collect flowers the next day, he said. "Sometimes, the fire spirals out of control, like in Tadvai, and it is difficult to tame it," he said. "Beedi leaf contractors also pay workers to set the forests on fire. It is difficult to keep a watch on them. We are conducting awareness campaigns," Dobriyal said.

Referring to their limited resources, the top forest official said they have requested the govt to include forest fire control in disaster management.