Hyderabad: Forest department gears up to battle forest blazes

Hyderabad: State forest department is gearing up to prevent, if not possible, to minimize the forest fires ahead of the ensuing summer season. Accordingly, the SFD has launched fire awareness campaigns in the villages adjacent to the forest areas.

Speaking to The Hans India, SFD sources said the department had investigated into three recent incidents of forest fires in different places. It was found that human errors were the reason behind these fires.

Against this backdrop the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), R Sobha has reviewed the issue along with the senior officials of the department. The department has decided to gear up all its field staff to put in place necessary precautions to prevent as well as to contain in case forest fires take place.

As part of this, the department has taken up fire awareness programmes in the villages adjacent to the forest areas like Udmilla, Maradugu, Ippalapally and Maddimadugu of Amrabad Forest Division (AFD). The locals and visitors and travellers were apprised of the reactions and how to conduct themselves to ensure that fires are not caused out of their actions while they were in the forest areas.

Speaking to The Hans India, AFD officials said the department has advised them not to use beedi and cigarettes and fire equipment.

That apart, the department has also imposed restrictions on entering the protected forest areas. Pilgrims going to Srisailam temple town through the Nallamala forest areas are asked to strictly comply with the restrictions.

The measures are pilgrims and travellers have to travel only through the designated areas and roads. Prohibitory orders were imposed to travel through footpaths in the forest areas.

The pilgrims and travellers would be allowed to stop to take rest at the designated places. The places were provided with potable drinking water facilities, the officials said.

Similarly, people are prohibited from lit fire and cooking in the forest areas. Also, the department has decided to increase the patrolling in the AFD and Kawal wildlife forest reserve for tigers and other protected forest areas in the state.