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Highlight the extent of forest fires issue in India. Do you see any lacunae in the government's response to this form of disaster?
Highlight the extent of forest fires issue in India. Do you see any lacunae in the government's response to this form of disaster?
Extent:
- Based on the forest inventory records, 40% of forests in India are exposed to occasional fires, 7.49% to moderately frequent fires and 2.405 to high incidence levels while 35.71% of India's forests have not yet been exposed to fires of any real significance.
Impact:
- loss of soil fertility, soil erosion, loss of employment, drying up of water resources, and loss of biodiversity.
- Changes in microclimate of the region in the form of soil moisture balance and increased evaporation.
- The dense smoke from the fires affected visibility.
Lacunae in Government measures:
- In states, there are no separate departments for wildfires and the regular forest department staff carries out the activities of forest fire management.
- Modern Forest Fire Control Methods scheme in which the states are provided financial assistance for fire prevention and control.
- A revision of Modern Forest Fire Control is being envisaged in which the JFM would be made an integral part of the forest fire prevention strategy.
- There is a need to establish a National Institute of Forest Fire Management with satellite centers in different parts of the country.
Steps taken by the Government:
- National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF) was launched in 2018 to minimise forest fires by informing, enabling and empowering forest fringe communities and incentivising them to work with the State Forest Departments.
- The Forest Fire Prevention and Management Scheme (FPM) is the only centrally funded program specifically dedicated to assist the states in dealing with forest fires.
Conclusion:
- The swift multidimensional response to the monster of forest fire is the need of the hour.
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