With summer, embers rage across the high ranges

As the hot, dry summer has turned a wide area across the high-ranges of the Central Travancore into a tinderbox, the vast swathes of forest and grass lands and plantations here have now been taken over by numerous wind-driven flames.

Raging across steep and rugged terrain, the authorities have faced challenges battling the blaze that has devoured vegetation in hundreds of acres of land so far. The dry wind that blows across the region has upped the intensity, turning several hill tops incandescent during nights.

Mundakkayam, for instance, has reported at least ten fire incidents across its plantation belt over the last week. These instances were in addition to the embers on the hill tops being reported from areas including Vagamon.

“The blaze is continuing to grow and it will probably smoulder through the rest of the season, until the summer rains terminate the risk completely,” said A.R. Arun Kumar, Regional Fire officer.

According to him, the incidents reported from the desolate grasslands on the hill tops are so tough to handle considering the difficulty in deploying men and machine at such locations. With a few more weeks left for the rainy season, officials now expect the number of distress calls to go up further in the coming days, more so in the absence of summer rains.

“The incidents of wild fire too has been on the rise and in most cases, the blaze is reported deep inside the forest. In such cases, our focus is on protecting the tribal settlements and villages on the forest fringes,” added Mr.Kumar.

Meanwhile, the Forest department has booked cases against 12 persons in connection with the fire incidents reported from the Kombukuthy forests over the last week. Confirming the development, B.R. Jayan, Forest Range Officer in Erumely said some of the accused had earlier been charged with poaching cases too.

“Our investigations have confirmed that the fire incidents reported from Kombukuthy were part of a deliberate attempt to trigger confusion among those living on the forest fringes. The accused have been identified through our camera traps and they will soon be taken into custody,” the official said.

In view of the rising fire incidents, the department has also expedited the works to clear the fire line along the plantations and the forests, besides launching awareness programmes along the forest fringes. The department also seeks to coordinate with the Fire and Rescue department in bringing the conflagrations under control.