PANAJI
While the government has till date refrained from officially confirming whether the spate of wildfires was due to human activities or natural factors, it has however admitted that extensive vegetation, particularly the ground flora, gets affected during fire mishaps.
The State had a challenging month of March as it witnessed 83 wildfires, which required intensified efforts of hundreds of firefighters and forest frontline staff.
In response to an unstarred question by the Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane disclosed that even slow-moving reptiles were impacted leading to the death of two snakes.
“Vegetation, primarily ground flora including herbs, shrubs and young saplings coming up through natural regeneration are affected during the fire incidences reported. Since the forest fires reported in the State are surface/creeping fire, thus mammals and birds have a chance to escape to safety compared to slow moving reptiles on ground, death of two snakes were reported in the fires reported in 2022-23,” the minister replied.
Rane also acknowledged that wildlife habitat, especially that of reptiles, rodents, and birds (with damage to snag trees), was affected in the burnt areas. This resulted in dry leaf litter, dry poles/logs, and trunks on the forest floor getting affected. “Corrective measures are being implemented by the department,” he assured.
The unprecedented forest fires that ravaged plantations, forests, and the interior of the Mhadei wildlife sanctuary kept the authorities on their toes for several days.
While the fire-fighting efforts continued for days together, the forest department also implemented a series of measures, including forming a WhatsApp group of environmentally-conscious citizens to report the incidents and assist the fire fighting operation. Among other measures, the department also conducted workshops on firefighting techniques for its forest staff to enable timely action during forest fires.
While a survey indicated deliberate fires pointing fingers at man-made disaster, the State government is yet to release an official statement on the root cause of the fires.
The Rajya Sabha and Goa Legislative Assembly had attributed it to extreme weather conditions. Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey during the parliament session in April said the fire was largely due to “a prolonged dry spell, unprecedented high temperatures, and low humidity” whereas Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in a reply to a Calling Attention in the legislative assembly, in March, said that Goa recorded extreme weather conditions. He cited nil or scant rains since mid-October, above-average temperatures, and very low humidity.
