’People will die’

PEOPLE will die in bushfires if gamba grass is not contained now, an expert says.

CSIRO research scientist Garry Cook, who specialises in research on the introduced grass, says it burns more strongly than native plants.

“It produces about 10 times more iron mass than native grasses, which means when it burns, the fires are far more intense and spread far more rapidly than in native grasses,” he said.

“It is very dangerous and has the potential to cause the loss of life.”

Mr Cook said the problem with the grass was that it could grow in almost all climates, from areas as dry as Elliott to places like Darwin which flood during the wet season.

“A lot is being done but the plant is spreading much faster than what we can keep on top of,” he said.

“The plant thrives on fire. When it burns any other vegetation, the trees get killed but the gamba grass will rapidly grow back.”

Darwin River resident and former firefighter Andrew Spiers said he was concerned about the infestation of the grass. While he and a few of his neighbours were working to preserve a native wildlife corridor, others in the area were not as productive in their weed management.

He said this was not only concerning for their properties, but for those around them.

“People who don’t do anything about gamba grass are going to lose their property (in a bushfire),” he said.

“Part of the problem is that the grass burns so strongly and the flames go so high that the fire gets into the treetops, and we’ll end up with fires like they get down south.

“The fires are so intense now that they’re dangerous to fight. It’s only a matter of time now before we have people getting burnt to death in fires.”

Currently, the NT Government gives out 20 litres of poison to property owners to eradicate the weed from their land.

A forum was held on Friday to work on further solutions.