50 ha of forest areas burnt
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 27 2015 :
Altogether 50 hectares of forest areas spread in Nongmaiching hills and Langol reserved forest have been burnt since the beginning of the current year.
Divisional Forest Officer of Central Forest Division L Joykumar told The Sangai Express that there were 12 cases of forest fires this year and all these cases were ignited by men.
Reserved forests located in and around greater Imphal areas are prone to bush fires particularly during autumn season.
Throwing away burning match sticks or cigarette buds without stubbing them also lead to devastating wild fires.
Just like a million match sticks can be made from single tree trunk, a single match stick can burn a million trees.
So one needs to be careful while throwing out burning match sticks or cigarette buds.
Igniting bush fires as a method of hunting wild animals is another highly undesirable practice, Joykumar said.
Forest fires cause extensive damage to ecology apart from doing much harm to mankind.
Wild fires often destroy priceless wealth and hidden forests.
Forest Department find it very difficult to tackle the practice of igniting bush fires during night.
Forest fires not only diminish sources of water but also degrade soil quality.
The practice of igniting bush fires has been contributing to the global climate change.
Smoke emitted from forest fires affect breathing in mankind.
Saying that igniting bush fires is punishable under the Indian Forest Act, Joykumar informed that mobile fire squads have been set up to tackle the practice of igniting bush fires.
However, the Central Forest Division has been facing crippling difficulties due to shortage or complete absence of modern fire fighting equipment, he added.