In a study titled, ‘Managing Forest Fires in a Changing Climate’ released by Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a public policy think tank in India on Thursday, April 7, more than 62 per cent of Indian states are prone to high-intensity forest fires among which the north-eastern states, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttarakhand are most vulnerable to high-intensity forest fires due to rapid climate change.
The frequency and intensity of forest fires, as well as the number of months in which such fires occur, have increased in the past two decades, the study revealed.
In the last month alone, significant forest fires have been reported in states such as Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The recent fire at Rajasthan’s Sariska Tiger Reserve was also considered to have been unseasonal, with high temperatures exacerbating the spread of the fire.
According to the CEEW study, more than 75 per cent of Indian districts are hotspots for extreme climate events, and more than 30 per cent of districts are extreme forest fire hotspots.
Mizoram has had the highest number of forest fire incidences in the last two decades, with more than 95 per cent of its districts being forest fire hotspots, according to the study.
Analyst suggests that most of the NER (northeastern region), including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur, and Tripura, barring Sikkim, are witnessing an increased frequency of forest fire incidences in recent decades despite the NER being a rain-fed area.
The report recommended that forest fires be treated as “natural disasters” and be brought under the National Disaster Management Authority.