National Green Tribunal
National Green Tribunal Southern Zone vs Additional Chief Secretary Forests And ... on 26 August, 2020
Author: K. Ramakrishnan
Bench: K. Ramakrishnan
1
Item No.7 BEFORE THE NATIONAL GREEN TRIBUNAL
SOUTHERN ZONE, CHENNAI
O.A.No.45 of 2020 (SZ)
(Through Video Conference)
IN THE MATTER OF:
Tribunal on its own motion suo motu
taken up the matter based on the
News item published in Malayala
Manorama newspaper Chennai
Edition dt.17.2.2020 under the caption
"Forest fire takes lives - 3 foresters
dead in Thrissur."
1. Additional Chief Secretary,
Forests & Wildlife, Thiruvananthapuram.
Kerala State.
2. Principal Chief Conservator of Forests &
Head of Forest Force,
Forest Headquarters,
Vazhuthacaud,
Thiruvananthapuram.
3. The District Collector
Thrissur District.
4. Divisional Forest Officer,
Thrissur.
5. Range Forest Officer,
Wadakkanchery Forest Range. ... Respondent(s)
Date of hearing: 26.8.2020
CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE K. RAMAKRISHNAN, JUDICIAL MEMBER
HON'BLE MR. SAIBAL DASGUPTA, EXPERT MEMBER
2
For applicant Suo motu
For Respondent(s): Mr. E.K. Kumaresan and
Mr. G. Prabhu
JUDGEMENT
The above case has been suo motu registered by this Tribunal on the basis of the news paper report published in Malayala Manorama Daily, Chennai Edition dated 17.2.2020 under the caption "Forest fire takes lives - 3 foresters dead in Thrissur ("ജീവനെടുത്ത് കാട്ടുതീ - തൃശൂരിൽ 3 വെപാലകർ നവന്തുമരിച്ചു" ) This Tribunal, after admitting the matter, passed the following order:
'The forest fire took place in Illikundu Forest, within the limits of Poongodu Forest Station. It may be mentioned here that such incidents are recurring in forest area posing danger to wild life in the forest and also causes air pollution. The Forest Department is expected to take all precautionary methods to avoid such things.
On going through the allegations in the report, we are satisfied that there arises a substantial question of environment which requires the interference of this Tribunal to resolve the issue.
The Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate and Change (MoEF &CC) has prepared a National Action plan on Forest Fire which states are expected to implement, so as to avoid forest fire in forest areas. The Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal, New Delhi has taken 3 cognizance of this issue in Original Application No. 60 of 2018 Mr. Rajiv Dutta, Vs Union of India and others, and as per order dated 28.05.2019 constituted a committee to study the matter and issued directions to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to evolve a mechanism to verify as to whether the National Action Plan on Forest Fire evolved by the Central Government is properly implemented, and if there is any gap what are all the steps taken to meet the same.
It is seen from the paper report that old methods are being used to douse fire by the persons who are engaged for this purpose by the Forest Department, though there are other updated scientific methods provided for this purpose under the above plan.
The State Government is also having responsibility to procure and provide necessary modern firefighting equipment to Forest Departments personnel so that such incidents could be avoided.
So, under such circumstances, we feel it appropriate to get the present status and call for a report from Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, Forest Head Quarters, Vazhuthacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, to ascertain the issue in this regard and to inspect the area in question and submit a factual and action taken report, and also the manner in which the National Action Plan on Forest Fire has been implemented in the State of Kerala, and if there is any gap then what are the steps taken to rectify the same, so as to avoid such incidents in future.
The above official is directed to submit the report to this Tribunal within a period 4 of one month through e-mail @ [email protected]. The Registry is directed to communicate this order to the above authority immediately so as to enable them to submit a report and also along with the copy of the paper report to the Government respondents shown here through e-mail so as to enable us to get a report from those Officers also regarding the recurrence of such incidents and possible precautionary and preventive measures taken by them for avoiding this incident. The official respondents are directed to file their response in this regard as mentioned above.
For consideration of report post on 05.05.2020.
2. On 5.5.2020, it was adjourned to 8.5.2020 by notification. On 8.5.2020, it was again adjourned to 11.6.2020 and on 11.6.2020 it was adjourned to 23.2.2020 at the request of the counsel for respondents for filing report. On 23.7.2020, it was adjourned to 31.7.2020 as there was no sitting. On 31.7.2020, it was adjourned to today by notification.
3. When the matter came up for hearing today, Mr. E.K. Kumaresan, learned counsel represented the respondents.
4. We have also received an action taken report submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Kerala which reads as follows:
"Action Taken Report on the Forest Fire Incident atThrissur& Status of Implementation of the National Action Plan on Forest Fire in Kerala (in response to the directions dated27.02.2020 in OA No.45 of 2020 (SZ) of NGT) The National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone, Chennai in Original Application No.45 of 2020(SZ), had on its own motion taken cognizance of a news 5 item - "Forest Fire Takes Lives - 3 Foresters Dead in Thrissur" - published in MalayalaManorama (Chennai Edition) Newspaper dated 17.02.2020, and passed an Order dated 27th February 2020, the gist of which is:
1. A massive fire in the Plantations atKottambathur-Illikundu Forests,about 12 km away from Cheruthuruthy(under Poongodu Forest Station of Wadakkancherry Range in Thrissur Forest Division), held and managed under lease by the Hindustan Newsprint Limited, caused the death of three Forest Watchers who were engaged in fighting the fire.
2. The Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) had prepareda National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF) to comprehensivelydeal with the threat of forest fire in the country. The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal, had taken cognizance of this in OA No. 60 of 2018 and vide order dated 28.05.2019 constituted a Committee to study the matter and issued directions to the MoEF&CC to evolve a mechanism to verify whether the implementation of NAPFF is proper, and if there are gaps, the steps to be taken to bridge the same.
3. The news item that had appeared in the MalayalaManorama daily mentions of old and traditional methods being employed by the Forest Department to douse forest fire, though there are modern scientific approaches specified for this purpose under the NAPFFto minimize the occurrence of such fire incidents, where the responsibility of procurement and provision of modern fire-fighting equipments is devolved on the State Governments.
In its Order dated 27 February 2020, the NGT, Chennai Bench, had directed the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force (PCCF& HoFF), Kerala to ascertain the issue, inspect the area and furnish a factual report on the actions taken with regard to the fire incident at Thrissur in specific and also to provide the status of implementation of the NAPFF in Kerala, identifying gaps 6 in implementation, and steps taken to rectify the same, so as to avoid such incidents in future.
I had inspected the site on 17.02.2020 itself when the fire was still raging. In compliance with the directions of the Hon‟ble NGT, I have once again inspected the area on 05.06.2020 after the on set of monsoon showers.Accordingly,this Report is filed herewith in two parts viz., 1) A Factual Report on the Incident of Forest Fire at Kottambathur - Illikundu Forests (under Poongodu Forest Station of ThrissurDivision), and 2) Status of Forest Fire Management in Kerala including that of compliance to the NAPFF.
Part 1: Factual Report on the Forest Fire at Thrissur 1.1 About the Area On 12.02.2020, 14.02.2020 & 16.02.2020, three successive fire incidents occurred in the forests (converted as Acacia plantations) leased to Hindustan Newsprint Limited (HNL) at ChembikunnuunderPoongode Forest Station of Wadakkancherry Range in Thrissur Forest Division burning an estimated 133.10 Ha and claimed the lives of three forest staff who were engaged in dousing the fire. The total extent of the land under lease to HNL comes to 475.5 ha comprising of four contiguous patches of Reserve Forests (RF) viz., Arattamala RF, Kottanputhurkunnu RF, Charakkuvalichakunnu RF and Karanchirakunnu RF, which are surrounded by thickly populated human habitations. A map showing the location of the area is at Annexure 1.
1.2 History of management of the area An extent of 500 ha of Reserved Forest was leased to HNL in 2000 for raising monoculture plantations of Acacia as raw material for their pulp and rayon units vide GO(MS) No.51/2000 dtd. 21/07/2000 and Order No.G3-42316/97 dtd. 10.04.2001 of Chief Conservator of Forests (Protection). Of this, an extent of 24.5 ha was resumed by the Forest Department in 2002 itself, [vide Order No.G3- 42316/97 dtd. 20.04.2002 of CCF (Protection)], on account of the predominance 7 of natural vegetation in it. The remaining 475.5 ha was developed as monoculture plantations of Acacia by the HNL.
Between 2008 and 2010, about 466 ha of the plantationwas felled and regenerated. An extent of 9.50 ha was not harvested, retaining the original crop in the area. An extent of 311.48 ha of the above area was replanted with Acacia hybrid clones &Acacia auriculiformis and the balance 154.52 ha was regenerated by retaining the coppice. After its rotation, the area was again harvested during 2015-18. Of the total area so dealt with, 179.92 ha was planted in three Blocks. An area of about280 ha was harvested but not replanted and about 15 ha of the 2009 plantation retained without harvesting.
The lease to HNL was extended from 1-4-2006 for 14 years or till such period the Company continues as Central Public Sector Undertaking by an Agreement executed on 4/10/2007. Following the tragic incident that claimed three lives and considering the fact that the continuance of the area under lease would further worsen its mismanagement, entire area under lease extending to 475.5 ha was taken back by the Forest Department on 29/2/2020.
1.3 Fire incidents in the area The area where the fires were reported from was under lease to Hindustan News Print Limited. They were managing it as captive plantation to meet their requirements of pulpwood. It comes under the territorial jurisdiction of Poongode Forest Station of Wadakkancherry Range under Thrissur Forest Division. The Divisional Fire Plan of Thrissur Forest Division is seen readied well in time (during October itself) and approved by the Circle. The Divisional Authorities had communicated to all lease holders of the imminent threats during the ensuing fire season instructing them of the necessity of putting in place adequate fire control measures.
Considering the fires in the region during the previous fire season, the HNL authorities were specifically asked to initiate measures to reduce fire risks in the area. However, it is seen that the Company had not taken any steps to prevent/ 8 control the occurrence/ spread of fire in the areas leased to it. Though fires were raging continuously in the area for many days, it is pertinent to note that none amongst the officials of HNL or their staff were there to fight the fire nor were they available in the field to coordinate the operations. Though the area was not under the direct management of the Forest Department, on a proactive mode, the forest field personnel had tirelessly engaged themselves in dousing the fires reported from the area under the lease.
The first instance of fire in the region had occurred on 12/02/2020 which had burnt 73.5 ha before it was doused by the efforts of forest staff. The information regarding fire in the region was received at 1 PM and the staff had reached the spot by 2 PM. The fire was doused by 8 AM the next day. The second fire in the region was reported on 14/02/2020 at about 5PM and it had burnt 12 ha. Due to timely intervention by the staff of Forest Department, the spread of fire could be contained to a small area and doused by about 4 AM, the next morning. The third fire happened on 16/02/2020 which burnt an area of 47.6ha before being extinguished by staff. It was in this attempt to control the fire, that (i) Shri. K. U. Diwakaran (Tribal Watcher), (ii) Shri. I. K. Velayudhan (NMR watcher) and (iii) Shri. V. I. Sankaran (NMR watcher) lost their lives in the tragic accident at the site.
The first information regarding the fire on 16.02.2020 was received at 1 PM. The staff had rushed to and reached the spot by 2 PM. The tragedy happened at about 4:30 PM. It is suspected that unexpected change in wind direction in a region predominated by tall & dried grasstriggered the rapid sweeping spread of fire. The staff who were involved in fire-fighting got caught in the raging fire. By the time help arrived, Shri. K. U. Diwakaran and Shri. I. K. Velayudhan had lost their lives in the accident. The Emergency Medical Help arrived by 5.30 PM and first shifted Shri. V. I. Sankaran to Medical College Hospital, Thrissur, and then to Jubilee Mission Hospital, Thrissur, who later succumbed to burn injuries at about 11.30 PM.
On receipt of information about the accident, at the Forest Headquarters, an emergency meeting was held in which the prevailing fire situation was taken stock 9 of and it was decided to depute Additional PCCF (Administration) to immediately to assume control of the fire-fighting operations in the field. Thus, on 16.02.2020, at 8 PM, the overall control and supervision of the fire-fighting operations were placed under the charge of the Additional PCCF (Administration), Forest Headquarters and designating him as the Incident Commander (IC). The IC constituted two teams i.e., (i) the Operations Team headed by the CCF (Central Circle) comprising of the field staff from Vazhachal, Malayattoor&Chalakkudy Forest Divisions along with the rest of the personnel from the other Ranges of Thrissur Forest Divisionto fight the fire, and (ii) Logistics and Planning Team headed by Divisional forest Officer, Thrissur to deal with the casualties in the field/ hospital.
Wildlife Warden, Peechi was designated as the Information and Media Officer. The IC, after taking stock of the intensity of fire and the terrain, divided the Operations Team into two Divisions, one under the charge of DFO, Malayattoor and the other under theDFO, Vazhachal. The casualty related aspects were directed to be attended to by the Planning and Logistic Team. The local Station staff were taken off the fire operations but for their services in guiding the others to the site of fire.
As soon as the Operations Divisions had assembled from Vazhachal, Chalakkudy&MalayattoorDivisions, the terrain to be dealt was broadly divided into two to facilitate ease of approach and action. As a first step, they were directed to secure the human habitations from fire by establishing fire breaks. Fire rakes, beaters, bush cutters, torches, power saws, billhook etc. were used in creating the firebreaks at short notice for preventing the fire from advancing beyond the decided breaks. The Operations Divisions constituted Operations Response Team (ORT) headed by the Range Forest Officers and lead the operations. At about 1 AM, once all the firebreaks were established, counter-fire was resorted to bring the fire under control. By 3 AM, the fire was brought under control and the Operation Divisions were withdrawn from their positions for rest and re-grouping later in the day. Two teams of staff were engaged during the day to keep a watch on the fire situation in the area.
10On 17.02.2020, by 1 PM, another fire was reported in the bordering slopes which was brought under control immediately. The Mini Fire Responder Vehicle from Chalakkudy Forest Division was pressed into service along with the staff for tackling the same. Once the fire was brought under control, the area was perambulated for a quick assessment of the prevailing fire threat in the region. It was found that the area had considerable stock of dried grassy patches which were quite tall. A separate Division was tasked with the responsibility of preparing high resolution maps of the grassy terrain, to facilitate precise decision making.
With the initial first-hand inputs from the field and the available hand-drawn maps, first round of discussions were held at 10 AM on 18.02.2020 with the field staff on reducing the fire potential/vulnerability of the area. Thereafter, the GPS co-ordinates of field positions were marked on the Google Map of the region. Based on the preliminary field inputs of 16.02.2020 & 17.02.2020 and the discussions and analysis of the meeting on 18.02.2020, four groups of field staff were sent out to perambulate the field area with LOCUS Application installed in their mobiles for tracing the boundaries of highly fire prone areas near human habitations.
1.4 Treatment of the highly fire prone areas The three fires reported in the area were in the North-Western part of the forested bit. It is likely that the fire had its origin from around the borders and had grown in multiple proportions fueled by the presence of tall dried grasses and the soaring day temperatures coupled with dry unpredictable winds. There were remaining stretches contiguous to human habitations that had similar fuel presence as that of the burnt areas. These areas were identified and analyzed digitally before it was decided to reduce the fuel/ inflammable content in the area for the following reasons:
(i) Predominance of tall dried grasses in pockets adjoining habitations leaving little room for maneuver than reducing the fuel load to address 11 the prevailing fire hazard.Back to back fire incidents in the adjoining areas which indicated the prevailing threat.
(ii) Presence of human settlements & plantations in the border area.
(iii) To protect the 3rd Year Melia Plantation, adjacent to the identified site.
1.4.1 Summary of field operations - on 16/02/2020 & 17/02/2020 Two Operations Divisions having a combined 11.30 PM - 3.30 strength of 120 field staff were engaged to fight 16/02/2020 AM of 17/2/2020 the fire and douse it.
Two Operations Divisions comprising of Watchers to check incidences of fire in the 17/02/2020 4 AM - 9 AM region & report Reconnaissance of the area by two teams to Day time locate potential threat areas Spatial Data Analysis with the help of inputs " from IIRS, NRSC, Google Earth and LOCUS Maps prepared by incorporating the data collected by the two teams about the potential "
fire-prone areas 1.4.2 Summary offield operations - on 18/02/2020 18/02/2020 10AM Discussion of the ICand the Operations Chief with the field staff &Operations Division Leaders.
Analysis of Maps and decision on fire-breaks Fire-breaks around the area divided into four reaches Setting up Control Room led by TA to CCF(CC), and RFO, Thundathil&RFO, Kodanad.
Afternoon Ground-truthing of four reaches carried out by four teams of Poongode Station staff to check the possibility of taking fire-breaks and control burning.
Field Works Detailing
12
Late Works on fire-breaks 10 m in width.
Evening & Operations Division 1- led by DFO,Malayattoorwith through RFOsPariyaram, Wadakkancherry, Pattikkadand the night Athirapilly(total 60 persons) - 2.2 km in the North & the West.
Operations Divisions 2 - led by DFO, Vazhachal with RFOsCharpa, Sholayar and Vazhachal(total 40 persons) 1.80 km in the South & the East 1.4.3 Summary of field operations - on 19/02/2020 & 20/02/2020 Field Inspections were carried out by the Additional PCCF (Administration) andthe Chief Conservator of Forests (Central Circle) and it was decided to selectively fire four spots in a strictly controlled manner to reduce the fuel load in the highly fire prone areas within the leased land.
19/2/2020 Afternoon Discussions, field inspection & selection of controlled till late burning spots evening 10 PM Stationed five Observation Teams and Fire Tender Vehicle - (2 at Kummuli, 2at Kuttymaruthu Departmental Plantation & 1at Pallikkal) 11.30 PM Simultaneous firing started.
Spot 1 by Operations Division 1 and Spot 4 by Operations Division 2 20/2/2020 12.10 AM Firing of Spot 2 by Operations Division 1 Firing at Spot 3 dropped 3 AM All fires subside Operations Division withdrawn & sent back Observation Teams retained till 6 AM to report 7 AM Field Inspection to assess the completeness of the 9 AM operation Reported complete and as planned 13 11 AM Debriefing with the Station Staff & the Range Forest Officers Formation of Teams at the Station level to monitor the field situation 6.00 PM Field situation reviewed and reported as safe.
Operations Control Room wound up An offence in this regard was registered as OR 04/2020 in Poongode Forest Station on 17.02.2020 and investigation is on. The families of the victims were paid Rs. 8.75 lakheach in compensation within a week of the incident and have been promised further support by the Department in terms of employment (permanent or otherwise). While the detailed reports of investigation are awaited, it is clear that the deaths of fire-fighters were a case of accident caused by the unexpected change in the direction of wind and the predominance of particularly dry and tall grasses in the area. That they were part of the first line of defense made it all the more difficult to enable them plan in advance and approach their task at hand. The area is along the catchment of River Bharathapuzha and is in alignment with its geography of the Palghat Gap. The river course and the location of the gap in the mountain ranges of the Western Ghats give rise to peculiar wind formations in this stretch which are unpredictable and a root cause of the particularly desiccative wind in the region.
As soon as possible, the injured persons were evacuated for the best possible medical support.Large section of staff was also quickly mobilized to take part in the fire control operations and the fire was put under control effectively. Extra departmental support including that of Fire & Rescue Services and all available modern equipment such as fire tenders, rakes, power saw, blowers etc.were used in the operation.
Though the fire occurred in an area not under the direct management and control of the Forest Department, the field staff had in a duty-bound and proactive manner, tried their best to control the fire. The tragic incident that claimed three lives was an accident that took place in the process on account of the sudden 14 unexpected change in the wind direction and the intensity with which the fire had blazed through the area.
By the time, follow up inspection was done on 05.06.2020, the South-West monsoon had already set in. The fire burnt area has already started recovering and green sprouts have started springing out. In the meanwhile, Kerala Forest Department has resumed the entire leased out area from M/s HNL. Kerala Forest Department is alsoproposing to carry out eco-restoration of these areasto natural forests. About 13 ha is already taken up for treatment this season and the rest is proposed to be taken up over the next few years.
Part 2. Implementation of the National Action Plan on Forest Fire in Kerala 2.1 Introduction The National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF) gives an overarching framework for managing forest fire in the country. It elucidates the general principles and strategies to prevent and suppress forest fire and also provides guidance for post-fire operations. Kerala Forest Department (KFD) has been dealing with forest fires for the last several decades and no devastating forest fire of massive scale has occurred in the State in its known history.This is also supported by the fire sensitivity assessment of the forests of Kerala by the FSI. However, acknowledging the deleterious impacts that any uncontrolled wildfire can cause, KFD has taken several effective and noteworthy initiatives on forest fire management in the State which conforms to the provisions of NAPFF.
2.2 Overall forest governance context of Kerala Kerala is located in the southwest corner of India, between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats to the east (latitudes 8°.17'.30" N and 12°. 47'.40" N and longitudes 74° 27' 47" E and 77° 37' 12" E). Spanning over 38,863 km2, covering just 1.18% of the total area of India, it supports about 2.76% of the 15 total population of the country1. Physio-graphically, the State is divided into three altitudinal zones viz., the mountainous highland (48%), the midland with rolling hillocks (42%) and the narrow lowland in the coastal belt (10%) 2 . The forest resources of Kerala range from tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist- deciduous, dry-deciduous, shola-grasslands to mangrove forests. The total extent of forests in Kerala is 11,524.411 km2 (29.65% of the total area of the State). Of the total area under the control of the KFD, natural forests form 78.38% and plantations 13.46%. The remaining 8.16 % area is under lease and forest land diverted under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 19803.
Forests are the source of all the 44 rivers and their innumerable tributaries in Kerala which are crucial for the well-being of the State through supply of drinking water, irrigation infrastructure, river-valley projects and industrial & commercial establishments. Apart from other ecological services that forests provide such as climate amelioration, thermal regime regulation, fertility management, soil & moisture conservation, pollination services, harbouring biological diversity etc., they also provide several direct benefits like timber, small timber, non-timber forest produce (NTFP), medicinal plants, fodder, firewood, recreational and spiritual spaces and other livelihood requirements to the society. As per the 2011 census, there are 4,84,839 tribal individuals belonging to 36 tribal communities that constitute 1.45% of the total population (3.338 crore) of the State4. The forests of Kerala also support several forest-based industries and locate tourism destinations 5 . Thus, the forests contribute significantly (directly as well as indirectly) to the economy of the State and its well-being. The role of forests as a bulwark against the impending impacts of climate change and natural disasters is increasingly realized, especially after the devastating floods of 2018 and 2019.
1Census Report. 2011, Government of India.
2Ramesh et al. 2003. Conservation Review for Rationalization of Protected Area Network in Kerala. French Institute of Pondicherry.
3Administration Report 2016-17. Kerala Forest Department, Thiruvananthapuram.
4Economic Review. 2016. State Planning Board, Kerala.
5Forest Statistics 2016. Kerala Forest Department. Thiruvananthapuram.
16The forests of Kerala are managed under various Circles. There are five territorial Circles, which are headed by Chief Conservators of Forests - Northern Circle, Kannur; Eastern Circle, Palakkad; Central Circle, Thrissur; High Range Circle, Kottayam and Southern Circle, Kollam. There are three wildlife Circles viz., Wildlife Circle, Palakkad; Wildlife Circle, Kottayam and Agasthyavanam Biological Park (ABP) Circle, Thiruvananthapuram. There are 25 territorial Divisions and 11 wildlife Divisions and 76 territorial Ranges and 26 wildlife Ranges under them.
2.3 Challenges to forest management in Kerala The forests of Kerala have been subjected to large-scale interventions in the past. Extensive areas were converted to commercial tree plantations (e.g. Teak, Eucalyptus etc.), cash crops (e.g. Cardamom, Coffee, Tea, Rubber, Pepper etc.) and areas of cattle ranching. Intrusive interventions like road construction, river-valley projects, urbanization, mass tourism etc. 6 have also impacted the forests. Poverty and economic backwardness among forest-dependent communities still continue to exert pressure on forest resources in some areas. Encroachment, wildfire, invasive alien species, poaching, mining, non-compatible land-use, changes in cropping pattern, human habitations in forest enclosures, climate change induced ecosystem malfunctions etc. have also impacted the health of the forests. At present, Kerala has a complex mix of land-uses where conservation, livelihoods and economic production assume equal primacy and profoundly influence each other.
There is a general realization that the long-term ecological and hydrological security of Kerala lies in securing and safe-guarding its forests and other natural resources. However, the legitimate livelihood and developmental aspirations of the people also need to be addressed. With this in view, KFD has initiated a multi-pronged strategy to consolidate the forest areas of the State. The 6 India High Range Mountain Landscape Project. 2013. United Nations Development Programme, New Delhi.
17key elements of this strategy are: 1) Relocation of private settlements located inside the forests, 2) Acquisition of private estates located inside the forests, 3) Securing identified wildlife corridors, 4) Consolidation of forest boundaries through survey & demarcation, 5) Joint survey by Revenue and Forest Departments for clarity on boundaries and resolution of disputes, 6) Resumption of unused forest areas given on lease, 7) Regularization of pre 01.01.1977 encroachments and eviction of illegal occupation from forests, 8) Swapping the habitations of forest-dwelling communities as a strategy for mitigating human- wildlife conflict, disaster-risk reduction and improving access to livelihoods & welfare measures, 9) Rationalization of the boundaries of Protected Areas, 10) Consolidation of mangrove forests, 11) Restoration of industrial plantations to natural forests, 12) Rationalizing the area under commercial tree plantations, 13) Dealing with invasive alien species in forest ecosystems, and 14) Management of forest fire.
Forest fire management is included as an integral part of forest management in Kerala. The Department has developed an elaborate strategy to deal with forest fire and itis carried out primarily through the prescriptions in the Working Plans, Management Plans, Tiger Conservation Plans and specially drawn Fire Plans for each Division. There is also structured Incident Response System (IRS) to deal with any eventuality and contingency that may arise on account of forest fire.
The Table given below shows the reported extent of forests burnt in Kerala during the last ten years.
No. of fire Extent
Fire Season7
incidences (ha)
2009-10 460 2364
2010-11 1017 5640
2011-12 504 2360
2012-13 525 2633
2013-14 339 1696
2014-15 486 1756
2015-16 564 2024
7
"Fire Season" in the State means fire occurrence during the period from December to May.
18 No. of fire Extent
Fire Season7
incidences (ha)
2016-17 737 2994
2017-18 330 1279
2018-19 583 1789
2019-20 382 716.64
Circle-wise details of fire incidences during 2016-17, 2017-18 & 2018-19 are shown in the Table below.
2016 - 17 2017 - 18 2018-19 2019-20
Sl. Name of
Extent Extent Extent Extent
No Circle No No No No
(ha) (ha) (ha) (ha)
Southern
1 Circle, 140 428.96 27 40.36 50 84.26 114 224.09
Kollam
High Range
2 Circle, 206 720.68 97 323.33 71 142.60 99 163.31
Kottayam
Central
3 Circle, 120 551.20 36 129.53 55 199.61 33 76.07
Thrissur
Eastern
4 Circle, 134 470.46 88 251.31 240 758.38 84 144.78
Palakkad
Northern
5 Circle, 34 200.77 19 82.35 56 136.57 20 19.04
Kannur
ABP Circle,
6 20 30.31 6 12.50 9 16.33 9 11.20
Trivandrum
PTR,
7 32 409.72 24 225.66 36 240.28 7 52.19
Kottayam
Wildlife
8 Region, 51 182.00 33 213.91 66 210.91 16 25.96
Palakkad
Total 737 2994.18 330 1278.95 583 1788.94 382 716.64
In spite of the enhanced fire threat induced by global warming and the near total reporting of fire due to the FSI fire alert system, it is evident from the above 19 figuresthat over the years, the extent of area burnt in forest fire is coming down in Kerala.
2.4 General principles of forest fire management in Kerala 2.4.1 Objectives of fire management Overall aim of the forest fire management strategy of Kerala is to prevent all accidental/ uncontrolled fire incidences taking place in the forests through modern fire management measures with active participation of local communities. 2.4.2 Core principles
1. Tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen and shola forests and marshy grasslands are to be protected as 'zero fire zones'.
2. Tropical moist deciduous and dry deciduous forests need to be protected from accidental and devastating fire incidences.
3. Rotational controlled early burning is a pre-requisite in montanegrasslandsbased on specific prescriptions.
4. In select areas of mid-elevation grasslands, controlled early burning is needed based on specific prescriptions,in view of the habitat requirement of herbivores.
5. Time-bound formulation of Fire Plans, Standard Operating Protocols (SoPs) and detailed fire-vulnerability maps.
6. Since most of the fire-prone areas are inaccessible to fire tenders and other standard fire-fighting options, the best strategy is to prevent fire than control it.
7. Participatory Forest Management is central to the overall strategy to deal with forest fire in the State.
8. Fire management requires high levels of preparedness within the Department and active participation from public.
9. Most of the forest fires in the State occur in degraded grasslands, rocky outcrops where the grass dry up in summer and along the human habitations. Attention has to be focused on such areas.
2010.Fire management efforts will consists of establishing fire barriers in fire- prone areas, engaging fire gangs, controlled early burning based on the prescriptions of Fire Plans, Working Plans/ Management Plans/ Tiger Conservation Plans, Participatory Fire management through VSS/EDCs, procuring modern equipment & gadgets, continuous monitoring of fire alerts up to field level, managing the fire incidences through (a well-laid out) Incident Response System etc.
11.Within the general framework of fire management developed at the State level, enough flexibility and freedom need to be given for decision making at field level, as appropriate.
12.Despite the best of preparedness and efforts, forest fires can still occur. While fire incidences that arise out of dereliction of duty has to be viewed seriously, sincere efforts of the staff shall be acknowledged appropriately so that they can work with a sense of security, confidence and motivation.
13.Safety of firefighting staff and public is of paramount importance.
14.Extensive training to staff on various aspects of forest fire management including that of personal safety.
15.Areas of special ecological or cultural importance, including Protected Areas, historic sites, designated heritage sites, temples, pilgrimage routes, etc. are to be given special attention.
16.Special conditions, for example, bamboo flowering, pilgrimages etc. areto be considered and provided special attention.
2.5 Fire management preparedness, planning and calendar of operations for the State The basic unit of forest fire management in the State is the Forest Station8. The process of planning for fire preparedness in the State starts with the 8 Forest Stations are institutions in a Range under a Deputy Range Officer and supported by four Section Forest Officers and sixteen Beat Forest Officers. They are supported by enough infrastructure and communication & conveyance facilities and in charge of significant chunk of forests in a Range.
21identification and mapping of fire-prone areas at the level of Forest Stations. Detailed analysis of the history of fire in the region (at least for five years), reasons, and strategies to address the same etc. are carried out as part of this exercise. From the identification of fire-prone areas at the level of Forest Stations, site-specific strategies are prepared to reduce the fire sensitivity of the area. These Station level strategies are compiled at Range level and then at Division level to form the Fire Plan of the Division. Fire Plans of the Divisions are then compiled as the Fire Plan of the Circle which is approved by the Circle Head concerned and submitted to Forest Headquarters. This process is repeated every year across the State, well before the onset of the fire season. Altogether there are 36 Division level and eight Circle level Fire Plans in Kerala. In some Divisions (e.g. Chalakkudy), the fire sensitivity analysis is carried out by dividing the area under each Forest Station into smaller „Blocks‟ which act as the basic unit of fire management. This has been found highly effective and efforts are being made to mainstream this approach in all the Divisions of the State.
Each Fire Plan has an elaborate set of prescriptions on the overall fire- sensitivity of the area (high/medium/low fire prone areas), pre fire season activities, firefighting protocols, Incident Response System, post-fire operations, etc. Fire sensitivity of an area is decided based on the past incidents of fire, fuel load, distribution of the monsoon,proximity to habitations, social conditions etc. Once these zones are identified and mapped, strategies are prescribed to address them. Special attention is given to highly fire-prone areas. The Fire Plans prepared by the Divisions are critically scrutinized at the Circles and given approval after necessary modifications. The financial resources available under various Budget Heads (State and Central schemes) are pooled so as to operationalize the activities prescribed in the Fire Plans. The Fire Plans are also a part of the Working Plans/ Management Plans/ Tiger Conservation Plans of individual Divisions.
22At the Forest Headquarters, Trivandrum, formulation of the Circle/ Division Fire Plans are monitored by the Chief Conservator of Forests in-charge of the Eco-development& Tribal Welfare wing. The prescriptions in the Circle level Fire Plans are synthesized at the Headquarters as the Fire Crisis Management Plan for the State which is also submitted to MoEF&CC, in conformity with NAPFF.
On the operational front, there is a Fire Monitoring Cell functioning at the Forest Headquarters round the clock during the fire season. There is also a permanent Control Room with toll free number 1800-4254-733. Similarly, Control Rooms are also set up in Circles, Divisions and Ranges. Regular review meetings and training programmes are organized at various levels preparatory to the fire season. As a matter of policy, the preparedness for current year‟s fire season starts as soon as the fire season of the previous year ends. The timelines followed for the above planning process is given below:
Analysis of the just concluded fire season - June Finalization and Submission of Division level Fire Plan - September Finalization and Submission of Circle level Fire Plan - October Finalization & Circulation of State Forest Fire Crisis Management Plan - November 2.6 Fire risk zonation and mapping As mentioned in the preceding section, risk zonation and mapping of fire-
prone areas is an exercise carried out across the State in all the 36 Forest Divisions based on the history of fire occurrence, fuel-load, distribution of monsoon, proximity to human infrastructure, topography, social dependence, areas of special ecological/ cultural importance, special circumstances such as bamboo flowering (eg. Wayanad, Parambikulam), prevalence of extreme aridity (eg. Palakkad, Punalur and Mannarkadu) etc. Based on this, fire-prone areas are identified and classified as high/medium/low fire-prone areas. These are integrated into the Fire Plans of Divisions, Circles and State. A Forest Fire Occurrence Map of Kerala is prepared based on this, which is then compiled into the Forest Fire Crisis Management Plan at the State level.
232.7. Preventing forest fires The fire prevention activities prescribed in the Forest Fire Crisis Management Plan at the State level and Fire Plans of Divisions are translated into action through a slew of activities such as identification of fire-proneness of an area, sensitization, awareness and training to staff & public, procurement of gadgets &equipment, establishment of fire-lines, fire-breaks, controlled early burning, engaging fire mazdoors, establishment of observation towers, participatory forest management, etc. During 2019-20, around Rs.27.19 crorehas been spent in the State for fire protection activities under various Budget Heads such as 1) Regeneration of Denuded Forest, 2) Forest Protection, 3) Non-Wood Forest Produce, 4) Project Elephant, 5) Project Tiger, 6)Fire Prevention and Management Scheme, 7) Conservation of Biological Diversity, 8) Hardwood (Fire protection in plantation), 9) Industrial Raw Materials (Fire protection in plantation), 10) Timber, 11) Kerala Forest Development Fund, 12) Green India Mission, 13) Teak Revolving Fund, and 14) Pulpwood Revolving Fund etc. Periodic instructions are also issued to field formations from the Forest Headquarters on fire management. Apart from the planning process mentioned in the preceding section, salient features of the fire prevention activities carried out in the State inter alia include the following:
1. Fire-lines and fire-breaks are made in fire-prone areas well in advance of the fire season. During 2019-20, a total of 2,519 km of fire-lines/ fire- breaks have been created in the State.
2. Controlled early burning was carried out in 2,347ha as part of forest biomass/ fuel-load reduction.
3. Digitization of the existing Survey of India topographic sheets has been done for the entire forests of the State.
4. As part of promoting greater adoption of the Forest Fire Alert System, field functionaries up to the level of Beat Forest Officers are registered with FSI. As of now, 3,679 persons have been registered with FSI and the 24 alerts received are promptly acted upon. Specific instructions have been issued from the Headquarters in this matter.
5. In order to improve the ground based fire detection, fire mazdoors and fire gangs involving local communities are engaged throughout the State depending the fire-proneness of the area and fund availability.
6. About 50% of the funds allotted for fire management is spent through VSS/EDCs with a view to mobilize the forest-fringe communities and empower them in the protection of forests. Local communities organized as VSS/EDCs prepare individual fire management plans for their operational area and these are compiled at Range level as Range Fire Management Plan.
7. Feedback on fire alerts/detections and their ground verification are sent to MoEF&CC directly by the Divisions and is updated on regular basis, monitored by Divisional Forest Officers.
8. Two Mini Fire Respondervehicles have been inducted into the Department during 2019-20.
9. Based on the field requirements, necessary equipment have been procured in all the Divisions. These include fire-rakers, billhooks, blowers, boots, water cans, masks, first-aid kits, etc. In order to strengthen communication during fire season, wireless network of the State has been strengthened by establishing Wireless Repeater Stations in 17 additional locations and adding 80 Base Stations.
10. At the Circle level, based on the requirements of the Fire Plans, all available resources are pooled to have synchronized and effective implementation of the fire management strategy. Availability of staff and vehicles are ensured along with timely rotation of staff engaged in fire-fighting operations.
11. Necessary directions have also been issued to all the field units to coordinate with District Disaster Management Authorities in the event of 25 any major forest fire. The mobile numbers and contact numbers of officers concerned are also compiled and circulated. 2.8 Incident Response System One noteworthy initiative of the fire management strategy of the State during 2019-20 was the institutionalization of the Incident ResponseSystem (IRS).
Adoption of IRS has appropriately clarified the roles and responsibilities at various levels and provided a structured approach in dealing with forest fire. The key features of the IRS are given below:
2.8.1 Operational Guidelines
1. Range Forest Officer will be the Incident Commander (IC), by default, for all fire incidences within the Range.
2. In case of smaller fire, the RFO may delegate the Incident Command to the Deputy RFO / SFO.
3. The RFO (IC) will make a quick assessment of the fire incident based on the fire sensitivity of the area, advance action already taken, prevailing local weather conditionsand latest information from the field and immediately prepare the fire response objective and strategy. If necessary, the RFO may dispatch a reconnaissance team to ascertain the field situation for an on-the-
site report.
4. After making preliminary assessment of the nature of the fire, RFO will establish an appropriate Incident Command at the Range or the Station / Section level.
5. The Incident Response function will include;
(i) The Incident Command, i.e., overall responsibility for managing the entire incident, ensuring incident safety.
(ii) Operations, i.e., accomplish the incident objective by implementing the strategy, both set by the Incident Commander.
26(iii) Planning, i.e., gathering and analyzing information, drawing up the Incident Action Plan (verbal / written) and its dissemination.
(iv) Logistics, i.e., providing all support services like transportation, food, first aid, equipments etc.
6. Depending on the size of the incident, Incident Command can be augmented by liaison, media and safety officers.
7. In case of all large fires reported by FSI, to begin with, RFO will be the Incident Commander. If the fire is not suppressed in six hours, the Incident Command will be taken over by the DFO and if it continues beyond 24 hours, by the Circle Officer.
8. Each Incident Response Team (IRT) will be headed by a Supervisor and will have upto seven members, including the temporary hands. Depending on the size of the fire, required number of IRTs will be set up.
9. The IRT should be dispatched to the site in the shortest possible time. On arrival at site, the IRT will take charge of the field operations and act as per the directions of the operation chief.
10. Each IRT will be sufficiently equipped so as to discharge its responsibilities as well as to deal with the emergencies. An indicative list of equipment to be carried includes GPS, Wireless & Walkie-talkie, blowers, weed cutters, power chain saw, portable pumps and extendable hoses, fire beaters, rakes, knifes, bill hooks, portable fire extinguishers, real time camera, mobile phones, fire resistant protective clothing and foot wears, torches, helmets, masks, water, first aid, digitized maps, hand held loudspeakers, ropes, services of drowns etc.
11. Each IRT should be provided with detailed maps showing the topographic features necessary for fire-fighting (preferably in their mobile phones).
2712. All the members of the IRT will be given a thorough briefing by the respective Supervisor before the start of the fire suppression operations. This will include the chain of command, operation plan, exit routes and emergency response.
13. The Operation Chief should ensure that each IRT does not spend more than 3- 4 hours continuously at the fire front. If the fire is not brought under control within this time limit, necessary replacement should be mobilized.
14. All tools and equipment should be safely kept in the designated Tool Room in the Range / Station headquarters. Tools required for an operation may be taken out and after use should be returned to the Tool Room.
15. Information on all major fires should be intimated to the District Disaster Management Authority and their assistance mobilized. 2.8.2 Personal Safety Following instructions on personal safety of the fire fighters have been issued:
1. Personal safety of all persons on the fire front shall be given highest priority.
2. All members of IRT should be wearing only loose cotton cloths and fire resistant footwear.
3. Supervisor of every IRT should have reliable communication with the Incident Commander.
4. For smooth communication between the Supervisor and the members of IRT and also between members of IRT, whistles should be used.
5. Every member of IRT actually facing the fire should wear mask to prevent suffocation.
6. Except in case of creeping fire, no fire fighter should go closer than 20 meters to the fire.28
7. The fire should always be approached from behind. Similarly, the fire fighters should be always on the lower side of the hill.
8. The Supervisor should be present at the site and should continuously assess the field situation and pass necessary instructions to the team members.
9. The Supervisor and team members should always be together and should ensure that nobody gets separated from the team.
10. Before actually starting the fire fighting, the possibility of unexpected change in the direction of the fire should be critically examined and exit route decided in advance.
11. The Supervisor should act according to the Incident Action Plan decided by the Operations Chief. Any change in this Plan should be with the approval of the Operations Chief.
12. Fire suppression in the field should be timed when the atmospheric temperature is low. Accordingly, it should be planned after 3.00 PM and over by 10.00 AM.
13. If caught in wild fire, tips for personal safety like;
(i) Instead of running, try to find a cleared area / clear a small area around.
(ii) Lie down on the ground.
(iii) Cover the body with wet materials including wet soil.
(iv) Roll on the ground, cover the face with hands.
(v) Stay low and cover until the fire passes
should be observed.
2.9 Community involvement in fire management
With 400VanaSamrakshana Samithi (VSS) and 190Eco-development Committees (EDC), Kerala has a robust history of community involvement in forest management. Participatory fire management is an important activity of the VSS/EDCs. Guidelines have been issued to the field for institutionalizing 29 community involvement in forest fire management. Keeping the prescriptions of the Working Plans/ Management Plans/ Tiger Conservation Plans as guiding principles, VSS/EDCs prepare Fire Management Plans for the protection of forests under their operational area including ecotourism sites. These are approved by the General Body of the VSS/EDCs and a consolidated plan integrating all the plans from the VSS/EDCs is compiled at Range and Division level and approved by the Divisional Forest Officer. AnMoU is also signed between the Forest Department and the VSS/EDCs concerned in this regard. Based on the MoU and prescriptions in the Plan, funds are allocated proportionately for fire management activities to the VSS/EDCs concerned. During 2019-2020, around 207 MoUs have been signed on fire management between KFD and VSS/EDCs. It is pertinent to note that around 50 percent of the total fund allocation for fire management in the State are earmarked for participatory fire management activities. The basic objective has been to empower the local communities in managing forest resources effectively while helping to generate livelihoods.
2.10 Increasing the resilience of forests to fires 2.10.1 Moisture and water conservation Kerala is facing the impacts of climate variability, signs of which are visible every day. The number of rainy days in the State has come down from an average of 130 days to around 80 days in just over two decades. Increasing temperature, aridity and fuel-load has exacerbated the fire vulnerability in many parts of the State. The unprecedented floods of 2018 and 2019 also brought to the fore, the increasing vulnerability of the State to the vicious cycle of flood and drought and a fall out of this is the fire-proneness of the remaining forests. The overall forest management in the State is now factoring in this also.
As mentioned in Section 2.3, one of the major identified priorities of forest management in Kerala is to consolidate the remaining forests free from adverse human encumbrances for improving hydrology and ecology. Improving the soil and moisture conservation measures is key to this strategy. Reorganizing the forest management in line with watershed considerations, catchment area afforestation, 30 removal of invasive species, forest fire control, improving water availability in the region through creation of check dams, gully plugging, digging of ponds, desilting existing ponds etc. are specific activities carried out in this regard. Soil and moisture conservation forms an important aspect of all the Working Plans/ Management Plans/ Tiger Conservation Plans of the State. 2.10.2 Forest floor biomass management and weed eradication Removing/ minimizing the fuel load is a critical intervention in managing forest fires. To reduce the fuel-load, cutting of grass and other inflammable materials is resorted to,towards the end of north-east monsoon in fire sensitive areas. Controlled early burning is a standard activity carried out in high altitude grasslands (eg. Eravikulam National Park, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Wayanad etc.). Removal of weeds from marshy grasslands (eg. Parambikulam) and controlled burning of dried bamboo clumps (eg. Wayanad) are other important activities carried out in this regard. Removal of inflammable invasive species is carried out in almost all the Divisions. These form part of the habitat improvement activities prescribed in the Working Plans/ Management Plans/ Tiger Conservation Plans of the State. In some areas, local VSS/ EDCs are allowed to cut overgrown grasses from fire prone areas which is also providing livelihoods to local communities (eg. Periyar Tiger Reserve). Different options for removing inflammable materials are also being experimented. For instance, sprinkling water and sugar solution on the cut grass in order to quickly decompose the fuel-load with the help of native fauna, particularly termites have been found to be promising. 2.11 Effective communication strategy for awareness generation Sensitizing the public and fringe-area communities is an important activity in forest fire management planning and execution. Elaborate arrangements are made across the state in furtherance of this. A horde of awareness generation programmes are planned and carried out throughout the State in all the Divisionsduring fire season. Participatory Forest Management institutions are given primary importance in this. Besides, the target groups include educational institutions, youth clubs, cultural organizations, Panchayatiraj institutions, 31 residential associations, tourists, etc. These awareness programmes are carried out on a campaign mode and include street plays, awareness rallies, hoarding, awareness classes, poster presentations, radio & television campaigns, appeal in the newspapers, social media etc. During 2019-20, about 231 major fire awareness programmes involving public have been organized across the State. 2.12 Capacity building - an important part of the fire management strategy KFD has developed an elaborate programme to build the capacity of staff and communities involved in forest fire management. Detailed curriculum for this has been developed by the IHRD wing of the Forest Department. During 2019-20, KFD has conducted 32 training programmes for the frontline staff on forest fire & disaster management. These training were conducted by the Institute of Management in Government (IMG), Trivandrum, Fire&Rescue Services Department, and the IHRD wing of KFD. A Training of Master trainers was also organized, followed by training programmes for field staff across the State. These trainings were attended by Range Forest officers, Beat forest Officers, Section Forest Officers and Forest Watchers. Personal safety of staff and watchers engaged in firefighting operations was given prime focus in these training programmes.
2.12.1 Centre of Excellence for Forest Fires Kerala Forest Department has a Fire Depot-Cum-Training Centre (FTC) at Arippa, which imparts training on modern forest fire-fighting to the forest personnel. The Centre provides two different types of training on forest fire management: 1) Master Training, and 2) Trainers Training.
Masters training is intended for DCFs/ACFs and RFOs. Apart from the training programmes conducted at FTC, selected DCFs/ACFs and RFOsare also sent to Forest Survey of India for advanced trainings. The Training of Trainers (ToT) is given to selected front-line staff which has a five-day schedule. A batch of 30 members from each Circle is given ToT. The basic curriculum of ToT include causes of forest fires, preparation of Fire Management Plan, preparedness during 32 fire season, firefighting strategies, first-aid, disaster management, GPS handling etc. The comprehensive training on forest fire management for the year 2021 will start during July 2020 and percolate down to all the frontline staff by November 2020.
2.13 Equipping the fire fighters, Development of adequate Infrastructure and Manpower Kerala Forest Department has been striving hard to bring in the best of technological innovations in forest fire management. Recently, two Mini Fire Responder Vehicles have been inducted into the Department as part of modernizing the fire management activities. Firefighting teams including field staff, daily waged mazdoors and community fire fighters are provided with firefighting equipment such as leaf-litter blowers, torches, power saws, fire beaters, water cans, first aid kits, GPS, protective clothing etc. Detailed instructions have also been issued to field officers to ensure personal safety during firefighting operations such as the need of the protective clothing, maintaining adequate distance from the fire, etc. Mock drills are being carried out in the Divisions to beef up the response capacity of the fire fighters. As mentioned in Section 2.8, an Incident Response System (IRS) for fire management, clarifying the roles and responsibility of staff at various levels is also now operational.
2.14 Post Fire management The fire management strategy of the State incorporates post-fire management activities as an integral component that need to be carried out in the aftermath of any wild fire. These include:
Assessment - Every fire is assessed properly for the causes, effectiveness of response, damage, if any.
The loss is estimated by mapping the extent of the burnt area, crop composition/crop damage by using GPS.33
Reporting - Every fire incidence is properly reported and analyzed by the DFO and submitted to Forest Headquarters through the Circle Heads after recording his/ her opinion.
Eco-restoration -Eco-restoration plans are prepared for all fire affected areas.
For every fire incident involving area more than 5 ha, the respective Circle Officers do a comprehensive analysis and prepare detailed reports, including lessons learnt.
By the end of every fire season, the Circle Officers do a detailed analysis including the successful interventions, weak points of the strategy etc. and list out the lessons learnt to be incorporated in the next year's plan. 2.15 Coordination with Other Agencies:
Co-ordination with Fire & Rescue Services (for training and incident control), liaison with district authorities and Police is ensured in cases of major fires especially in areas bordering human habitation. Medical emergency teams are identified in all the Divisions and alerted in case of any major fire. Similarly, Panchayath and Local Self-Government institutions are also involved in fire management activities, especially in mobilizing public support. Besides, there is close coordination between Forest Headquarters and State Disaster Management Authority on matters related to forest fire. In 2016 and 2019, services of Indian Air Force was utilized to douse fire in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve and Attapady Hills. 2.16 Compliance to the National Action Plan Forest Fire The details of the compliance of the fire management strategy of Kerala to that of the NAPFF aregiven in the Table below.
Strategy prescribed in Sl.No. Response of the State NAPFF 1 Statement of purpose Forest fire management is an integral part of 34 Strategy prescribed in Sl.No. Response of the State NAPFF forest management in Kerala. The Department has developed an elaborate strategy to deal with forest fire which is carried out primarily through the prescriptions in the Working Plans, Management Plans, Tiger Conservation Plans and specially drawn Fire Plans for each Division. These is a state level Crisis Management Plan and a structured Incident Response System to deal with any eventuality and contingency connected to forest fire.
2 General Principles Complied with. General principles of fire management followed in Kerala is given in Section 2.4.
3 Fire Risk Zonation and Complied with. Details are given in Section 2.5
Mapping and 2.6
4 Preventing forest fires Complied with. Details are given in Section 2.7,
2.9, 2.11 and 2.12
5 Increasing resilience of Complied with. Details are given in Section
forest to fires 2.10
6 Forest fire Complied with. Details are given in Section2.7,
preparedness 2.8 and 2.13
7 Fire suppression Complied with. Details are given in Section
2.11, 2.12 and 2.13
8 Post fire management Complied with. Details are given in Section2.14
9 Coordination with Complied with. Details are given in Section2.15
other agencies
10 Centre of Excellence Complied with. Details are given in Section
for forest fires 2.14
35
Strategy prescribed in
Sl.No. Response of the State
NAPFF
11 Mobilization of Complied with. Details are given in Section 2.7
financial resources
2.17 Conclusion
Over the years, Kerala Forest Department has consistently accorded top priority to forest fire prevention and suppression which is evidenced in the declining trend of the extent of area affected by fire. The last five years have seen our effort in terms of preparation of Fire Management Plans and its implementation in the field as pioneering and trend setting. Similar is the case with the Incident Response System (IRS) that is set to radically change the way in which we approach firefighting.
That said, there are still gaps to be bridged which could help us further improve our attempts in handling forest fires with finesse. The first of these is the age old practice of using conventional methods to beat the fire. Most of the fire beaters we have in the market at present are heavy, inconvenient to carry while trekking and hence not of much practical use. It is time we developed user- friendly firefighting tools that is of practical utility in the field. Since this would involve considerable experimentation with different kinds of materials available, it would be of help if any of our premier research institutions own this task under the overall guidance of MoEF&CC.
The second concern is regarding the estimation of the extent of area affected by fire and the assessment of loss. Neither the extent nor the methodology for assessment of loss is standardized at present. The services of remote sensing agencies of repute could be of great help in arriving at the extent of the area affected by fire with accuracy than depending wholly on the field inputs using ordinary GPS readings. The MoEF&CC could help provide us the platform in facilitating liaison between the remote sensing agencies and the State Forest 36 Departments. There could also be an avenue for sharing the latest satellite imageries along with ground-truthingof the fire affected areas with organizations like FSI for standardizing the assessment of loss. There is no scientific method for assessing the loss due to forest fire. The traditional assessment of loss takes note of the value of the timber lost while ignoring the loss due to all other aspects of forests. Such grossly under-reporting of loss ultimately conveys to decision makers a very low priority in allocation scarce resources. The above platform could also provide help inthe assessment of loss. It may also be of considerable help if advance fire warning could be provided by FSIor such other agencies to help focus on such locations with added vigour.
The third reach is one of personal safety, where the staff involved in firefighting are to attempt the task at hand with hardly any protective gear to save them in the case of an eventuality. There aren‟t many readymade protective gears available in the market which can help the fire-fighters in the forests. Most of those available are tailor-made for use in fire & rescue operations in the human environment. By their very geography and existence, forests are a terrain difficult for any of our urban gadgets to be of any practical use. Most of the methods in practice with the Fire & Rescue Services Department are also not much of field value in the forests. Since this is an aspect of critical importance, development of safety gear could be one of those frontier areas of research for our premier institutes under the guidance of the Ministry.
It is a fact that neither the State nor the Central budgets devote much on forest fire. The meagre budgetary provisions are to be fractioned amongst the many general forest protection measures of which fire prevention forms only a part. The dedicated central scheme on Fire Prevention and Management Scheme offers very little in terms of finances for the State Forest Departments to embark on anything substantial on the work front.
While the NAPFFprovides for an overarching framework for managing forest fire, bridging the gaps identified as above, would go a long way in securing our efforts at fire prevention and suppression as envisaged in the NAPFF.
37Notwithstanding the operational constraints, it shall be our constant endeavor to see that the risks due to forest fires and the consequent loss of biodiversity are reduced to the minimum by prudent pooling of all the available resources.
In the tropical forests that we have in Kerala, total elimination of forest fire is neither feasible nor necessary. Anthropogenic factors remain the most common cause for such fires. While intentional fires are to be eliminated, early burning and controlled burning are practical tools available to the foresters for managing such fires. Experience has taught us that the best strategy in fire management is prevention and in this the active participation of local residents is a sine qua non.While at the State level efforts are on to move out of the traditional methods and use of such tools for fighting, national level interventions in introducing modern techniques for early warning/ prediction, assessing the fire potential of larger landscapes and periodical updation, accurateassessment of the loss due to fire, development of protective gears suitable for field conditions and enhanced financial support will go a long way in perfecting the implementation of the NAPFF in the field and thereby managing our forests in a better way.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Kerala.
5. In view of the report filed, there is nothing survives in the matter except to ascertain the future steps to be taken by them to implement the fire management in the forest area. Further, it is seen from the report that on account of fire that broke out, lot of damage has been caused in the forest area which is extracted in para 2.6 of the report. That shows that large scale area has been affected on account of the same. Further, in the conclusion portion of the report certain recommendations have been given for the purpose of meeting the situation.
386. So under these circumstances, we feel that the report can be accepted and the matter can be disposed of by giving certain directions.
7. The application is disposed of as follows:
(i)The report submitted by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Kerala is accepted as regards the present incident reported in the newspaper.
(ii) The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of Forest Force, Kerala as well as the State of Kerala are directed to consider the conclusion portion of the recommendation given wherein they have mentioned that there are certain gaps and the situation is to be improved. The Chief Secretary, and Principal Secretary of Department of Forest, State of Kerala are directed to consider the recommendations mentioned in the conclusion portion and if there is any infrastructure facilities to be provided, they are directed to look into the matter and provide necessary assistance to the Kerala Forest Department to meet the situation, as forest is a natural resource protecting environment. Since safeguarding of forest is a responsibility envisaged under Article 48-A of the Constitution of India, the State has got constitutional duty and obligation to preserve the same. The Chief Secretary to Government of Kerala, Principal Secretary, Department of Forest and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of forest Force, Kerala are directed to allot necessary funds for implementation of the recommendations mentioned in the conclusion portion of the joint committee report and file a report within six months regarding steps taken for implementation of the recommendation and also nature of 39 utilization of funds provided by the MoEF & CC for implementing the National Action Plan on Forest Fire for the protection of forest area. Funds allocated under the State CAMPA for fine management and protection can also be utilized towards implementation of National Action Plan on Forest Fire for the protection of over all forest area.
After the receipt of the compliance report from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Head of forest Force, Kerala and others mentioned above, Registry is directed to place the same before the Bench for giving necessary further direction in future.
Registry is directed to communicate the copy of the order along with the report of the joint committee appointed by this tribunal to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary of Department of Forest and PCCF and Head of Forest Force State of Kerala immediately by e.mail so as to enable them to comply with the direction of this tribunal.
With the above direction and observation, the application is disposed of accordingly.
.........................................J.M. (Justice K. Ramakrishnan) .........................................E.M. (Shri. Saibal Dasgupta) O.A.45/2020 26.8.2020-kkr