Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Mar 6: With the onset of summer, the fear of forest fire has been gaining ground. The government proposes to make use of a satellite-based information system under which alerts are issued when smoke is detected.

The forest department has taken additional efforts to keep the forest fires under check this time. Two divisions of the forest department are kept ready to handle forest fires within their limits anytime, the officials say. The system sends an alert message to the cellphones of the Forest Survey of India officials once in two hours if smoke is found.

Representational image

Forest fires are rarely detected in the Kudremukh wildlife division covering 1,300 km in Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga district. Mostly fire is sighted at Nemmar, Shivalay, Malleshwara and Kudremukh. The department has identified 17 high-risk areas where watchtowers have been built and two workforces have been stationed. 51 people will keep watch on the forests.

P Rudran, the deputy conservator of forests, Kudremukh wildlife division, says that because of pasture land, forest fires were seen more in Kudremukh. He says that humans are the main culprits behind forest fires. He said that entry of people into the park has been blocked and awareness is being created about forest fires among the people.