Forest Department puts in place measures to prevent wildfire at vulnerable locations in Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tiruppur district

The Forest Department has put in place measures to prevent wildfires that break out during summer months in the forest areas in Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Tiruppur district.

“Fire lines have been created to a width of 15 metres on either side of 12 km stretch of road on the Tamil Nadu side towards Chinnar. A similar initiative has been taken beyond the State border by the Kerala Forest Department,” Devendra Kumar Meena, District Forest Officer (DFO), Tiruppur, said.

Along the old paths in the forest areas, stretches of 300 to 400 metres have also been covered for creation of fire lines.

Fire-watchers posted

Besides, a team of fire-watchers has been posted to handle fire-related incidents. The personnel have been equipped with binoculars and thermal cameras for constant monitoring of the forest area. Alongside, fire-fighting equipment procured under the Modernisation of Forest Force Scheme have been distributed across the division. The Forest Fire Control Centre in the district will issue alerts to the personnel through the centralised satellite messaging system. At vulnerable locations, in particular, swathes of areas covered by dry grass, personnel have been stationed on a daily basis, the DFO said.

Clean up of water troughs

To quench the thirst of wild animals, the Department has cleaned up existing water troughs, and was prepared to fill them with tankers during the peak of summer. Though the situation seems better this year compared to last year, owing to the good rainfall, the Department is not prepared to take chances.

In Amaravathy Range, a new solar borewell has been installed, and three existing water structures have been desilted. The department foresees the use of drinking water arrangements for wildlife beyond mid-April, the DFO said.