In K’taka’s hot summer, forests go up in flames
that human intervention led to forest fire. “All fire in India, including this one, is man made.” He said the fire spread because of high humidity, wind speed, the prevailing drought condition, the accompanying accumulation of dried leaves and human beings.
Sidappa Setty, a researcher with Bengaluru-based Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, said the contribution of lantana camara, an invasive species of shrub, could also be the cause of fire. Backing him, Heeralal said, “Because lantana grows to about two metres, if it catches fire, it will convert a ground fire to a canopy fire.”
He said of the 1.02 lakh hectares in the park, lantana had spread to 75,000 hectares. Of this about 40,000 hectares was so badly affected, even wild animals found it difficult to pass through the shrub, which is inedible.
Besides, the shortage of forest staff was another factor. “Bandipur has sanctioned staff strength of 340, but we have about 230 staff,” Heeralal said. However, he rubbished claims that this was the reason the fire’s spread could not be controlled. “An increase in staff numbers would not have helped as the conditions for the spreading of the fire — wind speed, humidity and drought — were present.” More than half of watering holes within the park have dried up, while others have barely been kept operational by pumping groundwater.
The forest minister has ordered a probe by the Crime Investigation Department.