PANAJI
Goa recorded a sharp drop in forest fires between 2018 and 2022, only to face a sudden surge the very next year, when 74 blazes were reported within 10 days in March 2023.
According to the Environment Volume II “ 2025 report of the Government of India, satellite data revealed a steady decline in fire incidents till 2022. Between November 2018 and June 2019, 11 cases were detected by the MODIS satellite, compared with five between November 2021 and June 2022 “ a fall of 54.55 per cent. Data from the SNPP-VIIRS system showed an even steeper drop, from 140 fires to 20 in the same period “ an 85.71 per cent reduction.
But in March 2023, as per the State records, 74 forest fires across 418 ha were reported between March 5 and March 15. A government inquiry later found that 348 ha of the damaged area were within protected zones, reserved forest land and Goa Forest Development Corporation-leased area. Another 23 fires were reported between March 16 and April 28.
Officials linked the spike in incidents to reduced rainfall in 2022-23, which left large amounts of dry biomass on the forest floor.
This, the report said, helped the fires spread faster. The inquiry also suggested some of the fires may have been caused by human negligence or deliberate action.
Meanwhile, the 2025 national report highlighted a change in Goa’s fire risk profile. Moderately fire-prone forests and scrub cover rose from 0.05 per cent in 2019 to 2.98 per cent in 2023, a net increase of 2.93 per cent. Extremely fire-prone areas, previously absent, emerged at 0.03 per cent. In contrast, less fire-prone areas declined from 99.95 per cent in 2019 to 96.99 per cent in 2023.
The report also recorded 71 wetlands within Goa’s Recorded Forest Area (RFA) in 2019, covering 1,025 ha or 0.78 per cent of the total RFA.
On forest cover, Goa showed steady gains.
The State’s recorded forest area rose from 33.09 per cent in 2013 to 34.33 per cent in 2023. Forest Asset Account data for 2010-11 to 2021-22 indicated significant changes across categories: non-forest land decreased by 4.61 per cent, while very dense forest grew by 2.29 per cent.
Overall, most forest types registered growth, with the largest decline seen in non-forest areas.
The RFA expanded by 47 sq km “ a 3.84 per cent rise “ during the period under review.
However, this growth came alongside reclassification. Reserved Forests shrank by 52.96 per cent and Unclassed Forests by 59.16 per cent, while Protected Forests surged dramatically from zero to 755 sq km.
The report said this shift reflected a reorganisation of categories, with large tracts being reclassified as protected forests.
