Jan 2: A year after 12,000 acres of forests in Bandipur went up in smoke, the Karnataka Forest Department is gearing up for the summer even as the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has cautioned that 22.78 lakh acres (9,222 sq km) or about 20% of the green cover spread across three districts in the central part of the state is fire-prone.
The FSI studied forest fire incidents across the country between 2004-05 and 2017 before coming up with state-specific inputs.
According to the 13-year observation, Karnataka has 7,352 “fire points” or areas measuring 5 km X 5 km with frequent fire incidents.
Though the number is lower compared to states like Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha with over 20,000 points, the sheer spread of the fire-prone area itself is a challenge for the Karnataka Forest Department.
According to data, about three lakh acres (1,199.9 sq km) of forest area is very highly fire prone with 26 to 52 fire incidents in 13 years. This is followed by 7.6 lakh acres (3,067 sq km) of “highly fire prone” areas with an average of one to two incidents every year.
Almost all of the “red alert” areas are concentrated in Uttara Kannada, Chikkmagaluru, Shivamogga and Chamarajanagar districts. As temperature rises at the end of January, so does the risk of forest fires, requiring officials to be on vigil till the end of summer.
After an investigation into the Bandipur blaze revealed that faulty fire lines and poor supervision were the reason for the spread of the fire, the department has come up with a multi-pronged approach to prevent similar incidents this year.
“After the Bandipur incident, we have created a fire cell and a standard operating procedure (SOP) which everyone has to follow. Firstly, a fire management plan is prepared and approved by a competent authority.
The SOP has well defined firelines which have to be executed by December-end and burning must be completed by January 15,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force) Punati Sridhar told DH.
He said that to ensure its strict implementation, GPS readings of firelines are to be submitted for random verification.
“All the required equipment from fire jackets to shoes, gloves, backpack sprayers and tractors mounted with 2,000-5,000 litre tanks with high pressure pumps will be deployed at vantage points,” he said.
In addition, the department’s fire cell works in collaboration with the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC) to give fire alerts within half and hour of an area catching fire and detected by satellites.
“Earlier, the gap used to be four hours by when the fire would have spread beyond control. Now, with reduced time gap, it would be easier to control fire early,” he added.
Speaking to media persons Sanjeev Matandoor, Daskhina Kannada district unit president of BJP, said that some youths were forcibly converted to Islam but no action was taken to curb what he termed conversion racket.
Comments
This is a advance education era. Most of the grown up childrens are well capabe to understand what is good what us bad. What is God's Creation and what is not. In our Inpendence country every one have right to choose their choice.
Orthere no need to interfere or they have right to do any forcefull act fo
Convert the rest or to do forcefull Ghar Wapsi.
Trust street mongers will stop these non sense activity.
Some one faught with his father n left home. Some mentally group's trying to create communal tension in South Kanara surroundings.
State Govt n dept must take strict action n send them behind bar for at least 6 months period is the only right remedy.
Jai Hind
bjp has no other issue and that is the reason they take up converion issue. Its cleared by Police Dept that no case of forced conversion taken place in Suliya. Based on this, Police should ban hate mongers from giving any speech and ban these terrorist organisations.
More & More people converted to Islam in USA & Britain so that they can create another Afaghanistan & Syria
Bopanna...
I feel you need more education on God... U look dumb when u dont study about your enemies.. Dont just depend on cheddis fed info on islam...
Use your own intellect and read your enemies book The QURAn...
I will help U ... read online theQuranProject , well explained for people like you... Try it man.
Another pillar of Islam
1. Bombs
@Sangeeth, Mangalore
Yes! they converted because of listening to zakir naik's speeches. Because he speak the truth. and they liked the truth.
Entire Karnataka incluidng Dakshina Kannada is crying for drinking water. But these shakunis are worried about religious conversions.
I want to ask the bunch of jokers in this forum - Viren, Yogesh & Sangeeth
Your voice speaks that you are really worried of growing popularity of Islam
Why do you think people are forcibly converted? Are they illiterates ?
You will agree to the fact that in this modern age, each product has its own USP and just imagine why there are more Airtel subscribers in the country compared to other telecom providers ?
Are the customers compelled to subscribe for their product ? In this age, every individual are smart enough to decide which one suites him.
So it is foolish to tell people are being converted forcibly
Yogesh...how innocent Hindus became chaddis...this is mind wash from terrorist group RSS
@Yogesh
UK's No 1 News channel
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
@Yogesh proof for yogesh
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
http://www.ibtimes.com/muslims-america-more-latinos-converting-islam-us…
CELEBRITIES WHO CONVERTED TO ISLAM, SO MANY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_Islam
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him) ?3:85?.
In this Ayah ?3:19?, Allah said, asserting that the only religion accepted with Him is Islam,
No other religion book says. We dont benifit by converting u people, u are getting benifitted.
At the end of the day, those who doesnt follow and practice islam. He will be the loser.
More educated person is converting to islam than non educated ones.
Highest people are converting islam is from britain and america. There is no pint of force converting.
After 9/11 to prove quran wrong. many started to studing quran, they found that it is the true peace religion. And the terrorists are doing anti islamic. Against islam. So many people converted stil now people are converting.
Many big celebrities like mohammed ali, tyson, tony blairs sister are all converted to islam
please note that hindus converting to islam because of some hate speeches made by hindu leaders like kalladka
@VIren
U should Thank Arabs, the word Hindu is given by Arabs.
The actual Religion is named as Sanathan Dharm. Which nobody Follows.
@viren
How Hindu Population is Increasing, Show me a single Person who converted from Islam to Hindu.
i think u r just telling Opposite,
Plz Check, Ur family Members might have converted to Islam.
Police should arrest all PFI goons , hindu population is increasing day by day and PFI aware about it
Just say in ur heart, La ilaaha illalla Muhammed arra Soorula, u Have passed first stage of islam. No body can stop it.
This is the power of islam.
The Five Pillars consist of:
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith.
Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day.
Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.
Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj: pilgrimage to Makkah.
No other religion book says so.
Hindus make idols, But i think, the man who makes the idol. is greater than idol.
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