Fire months have begun for the Palamu tiger reserve. The March to July months are highly prone to fires in this reserve which is a bamboo dominated one.
The leaf fall is very high in these months and and so are the chances of fire.
DFO Core P Anand said, “We have no wherewithal to go for anti fireworks. It is a labour intensive work. The labourers are engaged for fire tracing, fire line and bush cutting. There is no availability of fund for these activities. The labourers are working on our assurances that their wages will be paid.”
The Palamu tiger reserve is most vulnerable to surface fire and the major cause behind the fire in this reserve is the conflict of interest of the villagers living in and around the reserve who often deliberately throw their half lit bidis and cigarettes around the reserve.
DFO Core said, “We are creating awareness among the villages to help us save the reserve from fire.”
Anand informed that Mahua pickers burn leaves to collect mahua seeds and then the fire extends.
The fire in this reserve does not reach the top of the trees. However, the intensity of the fire is very high.
Jungle fire cannot be extinguished with water. Here broom is used to douse the fire with the help of fire cutting line that stops spreading of fire.
Sources said workers engaged in fire extinguishing prefer eating molasses as it keeps their lungs free from the ill effects of smoke.
Sources said there goes a saying ‘Kendu pattawaley khoob garmee chahtey hain. Garam hawa sey kendu patta achha hots hi. PTR waley naram mousam chhahtey hain takey van prani bechain na ho’.
The tiger reserve has kendu leaves in bulk. But by the order of the Apex court, nothing can be taken out of the reserve but powerful traders smuggle it from the reserve and their men also cause fire when they are stopped from smuggling the kendu leaves.
Anand conceded that kendu leaf pluckers too are no less responsible for forest fire in the reserve.
He said that when a week of March gets over, then there will be case of forest fire in the core area of the PTR’.
The fund crunch also hits anti-fire measures, admitted a ground staff of the Palamu tiger reserve.