Lok Sabha Question No. 6653 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-04-06
Subject: Forest Fire
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAMACHANDRAN MULLAPPALLY, RAJU ALIAS DEVAPPA ANNA SHETTI, SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6653

TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.04.2018

## Forest Fire

## 6653.   SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN: SHRI RAJU SHETTY: SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether as per State of Forest Report 2017 there has been thirty eight per cent increase in the incidents of forest fire in the country during the last thirteen years;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the estimated loss of animal and human lives along with the destruction caused to flora and fauna during the said period;
- (c) whether the National Green Tribunal has asked his Ministry to frame a national policy for prevention and control of forest fire and if so, the details thereof;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  State/UT-wise  study  to  assess  the  losses suffered due to forest fire during the last five years and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)  the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  prevent  forest  fire  especially  during  summer season?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  Dehradun,  a  subordinate  organization  of  this Ministry is publishing India State of Forest Report once in two years. FSI does not report the number  of  forest fire incidences on the  ground. It only disseminates the satellite based forest fire alerts to all the State Forest Departments and other registered users. The  data  generated  from  the  fire  alerts  titled  'Global  Monthly  Fire  Location Product' (MCD14ML) pertaining to the fire season (January to June) from 2003 to 2016 was used to carry out a long term characterization study on forest fires The number of fire detections fluctuate across the years and are dependent on weather conditions besides other variables. Therefore, direct comparison on the number of fire detections may not reflect ground reality. The year wise number

and the same was published in India State of Forest Report 2017 (ISFR 2017). of detections observed as per the MCD14ML database is given in Annexure.

- (b) The loss of animal and human lives if any, along with the destruction caused to flora and fauna during the said period are not maintained in the Ministry.
- (c) The Hon'ble National Green Tribunal (NGT), Principal Bench, New Delhi vide its  order  dated 03.08.2017 in the Original Application No. 216 of 2016 (M.A.

No. 397 of 2017) in the matter of Rajiv Dutta versus Union of India and others has  inter-alia  directed  that  the  Ministry  of  Environment,  Forest  &  Climate Change (MoEF&CC) should in consultation with the States formulate National Policy/Guidelines  for  forest  fire  prevention  and  control,  which  should  be updated periodically.

- (d) The Government has not conducted any State/UT-wise study to assess the losses suffered due to forest fire during the last five years.
- (e) Protection and management of forests from various threats including forest fire is primarily the responsibility of respective State/Union Territory Governments. The  Ministry  issues  advisories  to  State/UT  Governments  for  taking  effective steps  for  prevention  and  management  of  forest  fires.  Forest  Survey  of  India, Dehradun,  a  subordinate  organization  of  this  Ministry  disseminates  satellite based  forest  fire  alerts  on  location  of  forest  fires  to  all  States/UT  Forest Departments  &  other  registered  users  through  SMS  and  email  for  taking effective steps for controlling the fire at the initial stage itself so as to minimize the  damages  and  losses.  Further,  the  Ministry  supplements  the  efforts  of State/Union Territory Governments in prevention and control of forest fire by providing financial assistance under  the Centrally Sponsored  Forest Fire Prevention and Management (FPM) Scheme.

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ANNEXURE REFERED TO PART (a) & (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 6653 DUE FOR REPLY ON 06.04.2018 REGARDING FOREST FIRE ASKED BY SHRI MULLAPPALLY RAMACHANDRAN, SHRI RAJU SHETTY AND SHRI SUSHIL KUMAR SINGH:

|   S. No. |   Year | Number of detections   |
|----------|--------|------------------------|
|        1 |   2003 | 24,450                 |
|        2 |   2004 | 32,993                 |
|        3 |   2005 | 25,550                 |
|        4 |   2006 | 32,244                 |
|        5 |   2007 | 32,650                 |
|        6 |   2008 | 27,228                 |
|        7 |   2009 | 46,152                 |
|        8 |   2010 | 35,804                 |
|        9 |   2011 | 25,518                 |
|       10 |   2012 | 40,528                 |
|       11 |   2013 | 25,061                 |
|       12 |   2014 | 26,797                 |
|       13 |   2015 | 22,465                 |
|       14 |   2016 | 33,664                 |

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