More fires in Similipal, rest of Odisha; officials say rain is need of the hour - Hindustan Times
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More fires in Similipal, rest of Odisha; officials say rain is need of the hour

ByDebabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar
Mar 08, 2021 01:12 AM IST

There were at least 19,233 fire spots over Odisha since February 28 while 23,859 forest fires were counted since November 1 last year.

Even as Odisha forest officials claimed that the raging fires in Similipal biosphere reserve, listed among the few biospheres of UNESCO for its critical resources, was by and large under control, Forest Survey of India’s fire alerts system and satellite pictures of NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System showed that thousands of fires were raging over Odisha and Similipal.

Odisha saw around 7,000 new fire points in the last 24 hours.(HT photo)
Odisha saw around 7,000 new fire points in the last 24 hours.(HT photo)

As per the Forest Survey of India’s fire alerts system based on SNPP (Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership), there were at least 19,233 fire spots over Odisha since February 28 while 23,859 forest fires were counted since November 1 last year, the highest among all the states. As per the FSI fire alert system, Odisha saw around 7,000 new fire points in the last 24 hours.

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The Near Real-Time (NRT) satellite observation from NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard the Terra and Aqua satellites and NASA's Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) showed most of Odisha covered with red fire spots.

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The Similipal biosphere reserve in Mayurbhanj district on Sunday, which hogged the limelight over wildfire for about a fortnight, reported more and more fire spots as the inferno spread to more areas of the 5,569 sq km reserve. The fire alert system of the Forest Survey of India showed at least 127 fire spots over Similipal with almost all the fringe areas of the reserve seeing new fires.

"The rising temperature and lack of summer rain have made Similipal a tinderbox. In other years, occasional showers help keep the moisture in the reserve. But this year, there has been no rain for almost a month that has turned the reserve completely dry. A spark of fire is enough to start a fire. The tribals who live on the fringes have their own belief system and are still lighting up leaves in the forest to keep the forest bed clean. Though we have pressed over 1,000 people including 400 fire watchers, the task is becoming more and more difficult for us. Some amount of rain is necessary to keep more fires from coming up," said Regional Chief Conservator of Forest if Baripada circle, M Yogajayananda.

However, Akshita Bhanja Deo, a member of the royal family of Mayurbhanj, said the tribal community is not being taken into confidence by the forest bureaucracy of Simlipal. "There is an immense trust deficit. Neither the local community have not got any incentive nor the civil society has been brought in with a detailed plan of action. Stripping away forest ownership from local communities means they are removed from the healthy upkeep of the forest. Even though NASA satellite images show the fire is active and burning, around the buffer zone smoke is visible from high altitudes. Fire can be seen on top of the hills. It is becoming impossible to walk through 2,000 hectares," she alleged.

As per the data available with the Forest Survey of India, the number of large fire events detected in Odisha as of March 7 stood at a massive 918, which was more than 3 times what was reported on March 3 (296 large fires).

Wildlife and forest expert Biswajit Mohanty alleged that this year the forest department has been caught napping as there was no proper and adequate plan of action. “It seems the state forest department is not alert. Since the alerts were issued based on satellite images, a readymade plan of action by the State Forest Department could have averted the spreading of the fire to new areas. The fire needs to be controlled at the ‘surface fire’ level only. The fire lines are also not maintained properly,” he said.

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