Lok Sabha Question No. 4056 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-01-04
Subject: Forest Fire
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAMESH POKHRIYAL NISHANK, KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH, RANGASWAMY DHRUVANARAYANA

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4056

TO BE ANSWERED ON 04.01.2019

## Forest Fire

## 4056 . DR. RAMESH POKHRIYAL 'NISHANK': SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH: SHRI R. DHRUVA NARAYANA:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  any  data  regarding  the  number  of  forest  fires  in  the  country during the last decade, if so, the details thereof, year and forest-wise;
- (b) whether the Government has sought help from the foreign experts/ agencies to control forest fires and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken appropriate steps to check the incidents of the forest fire especially in the leaves of pine trees in Himalayan States, if so, the losses caused by forest fire during the last five years;
- (d)  whether  the  Government  has  made  any  efforts  to  check  the  incidents  of  forest  fires  by holding awareness campaign/ competition on local community level, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  promote  the  pine  leaves  based  industries  in  the Himalayan region and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a) Forest Fires occur every year during summer  due  to  various natural and anthropogenic  reasons  including  accumulation  of  inflammable  materials  such  as dry  leaves,  twigs,  pine  needles  etc.  Forest  Survey  of  India  (FSI),  Dehradun, disseminates  the  satellite  based  forest  fire  alerts  to  the  State  Forest  Departments and other registered users whenever forest fires are detected.  The details of forest fire  alerts  issued  to  all  State/  Union  Territory  Forest  Departments  during  the last three years is given in Annexure-I.
- (b) The  Ministry  has  not  hired  any  foreign  experts/  agencies  to  control  forest  fires. However, the Ministry in collaboration with the World Bank has conducted a study on Situation Analysis of Forest Fire and released a study report titled 'Strengthening Forest Fire Management in India' which contains various recommendations regarding fire prevention, detection, suppression, post-fire management,  engaging  with  communities,  coordination  with  other  agencies  etc.

The inputs from the study were also used by the Ministry in preparation of National Action Plan on Forest Fire which was issued in April 2018. Since forests belongs to the  States,  the  responsibility  of  forest  fire  prevention  and  management  lies primarily with the respective State/UT Governments.

- (c) Pine tree forests are more vulnerable to forest fires, as the leaves/needles of pine trees  are  highly  inflammable  due  to  its  resin  content.  The  State  Government  of Uttarakhand is  making  efforts  to  put  the  chir-pine  needles  to  alternative  use  like making  of  briquettes,  vegetative  check  dams,  as  bio-fuel  in  gasifies  etc.  The transportation  of  pine  needles  has  been  exempted  from  the  control  of  Forest Produce  Transit  Rules  by  the  State  Government  to  facilitate  its  hassle  free transportation across the state .

The Forest Department of Uttarakhand has stopped plantations of chir-pine species in  all  its  plantation  programmes  since  2005.  As  per  the  Uttarakhand  Plantation Policy,  2005,  multipurpose  plantations  are  being  done  in  the  chir-pine  areas  of Middle Himalayan region. The main purpose is to gradually replace the pine trees with suitable broad-leaved tree species. The data regarding loss due to forest fire is not maintained in this Ministry.

- (d) The  Ministry  has  issued  National  Action  Plan  on  Forest  Fire  in  April  2018  and circulated to all State/UT Governments for taking appropriate action for effective prevention and management of forest fire accordingly.

The  Ministry  supports  the  efforts  of  State/Union  Territory  Governments  in prevention and control of forest fire by providing financial assistance for various forest  fire  prevention  and  management  measures.  For  prevention  of  forest  fire, awareness camps are organized and adequate publicity is done by the State Forest Department  as  per  the  plan.  Other  prevention  and  control  measures  includes creation and maintenance of fire lines in forest areas, engagement of fire watchers, creation of water  storage  structures in forest areas, strengthening  of forest infrastructure, procurement of fire fighting equipments, Soil and Moisture Conservation  works  in  high  risk  areas,  incentivizing  villages/communities  for protection  against  forest  fire  etc.  under  the  Centrally  Sponsored  Forest  Fire Prevention and Management Scheme.

The details of fund released to State/ UT Governments for various forest protection measures  including  forest  fire  prevention  and  management  under  the  erstwhile Intensification  of  Forest  Management  Scheme  and  the  ongoing  Forest  Fire Prevention and Management Scheme during the last three years (as on 31.12.2018) is given in Annexure-II.

- (e) The  State  Governments  has  formulated  schemes  to  promote  pine  leaves  based industries. The State-wise details are as follows:

(i) Himachal  Pradesh:  Efforts  are  made  to  establish  linkage  and  mobilize support of Forest Department, Panchayati Raj Institutions and local communities in this endeavor for effective collection of Pine Needles. Ambuja Cement Factory and Associated Cement Company Factories are involved in Pine needle collection through local communities. The local communities are being paid Rs. 1.65 to Rs.

1.75 per kg for Pine Needles collected. (ii) Jammu  &  Kashmir:  The  Forest  Department  of  Jammu  &  Kashmir  is exploring the possibility of using pine needles for making briquettes which can be used as an alternative energy source for local communities. Uttarakhand: The Government of Uttarakhand has incentivized pine needle collection  by  local  communities  and  encourages  setting  up  of  briquetting  plants

(iii) based on chir pine needles.

The Ministry supports the setting up of pine needle based industries as removal of pine needles from forests reduces the risk of forest fire.

*******

ANNEXURE-I

ANNEXURE  REFFERED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4056 DUE FOR 04.01.2019 REGARDING FOREST FIRE ASKED  BY  DR.  RAMESH  POKHRIYAL  'NISHANK',  SHRI  KIRTI  VARDHAN SINGH and SHRI R. DHRUVA NARAYANA

| S. No.   | States/UTs               | 2015   | 2016   | 2017   |
|----------|--------------------------|--------|--------|--------|
| 1        | Andaman &Nicobar Islands | 1      | 24     | 8      |
| 2        | Andhra Pradesh           | 1,075  | 1,699  | 1877   |
| 3        | Arunachal Pradesh        | 358    | 293    | 733    |
| 4        | Assam                    | 1,656  | 1,766  | 1877   |
| 5        | Bihar                    | 45     | 321    | 272    |
| 6        | Chandigarh               | 0      | -      | 1      |
| 7        | Chhattisgarh             | 1,272  | 2,808  | 4373   |
| 8        | Dadra &Nagar Haveli      | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 9        | Daman &Diu               | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 10       | Delhi                    | 0      | 2      | 5      |
| 11       | Goa                      | 0      | 10     | 32     |
| 12       | Gujarat                  | 117    | 262    | 574    |
| 13       | Haryana                  | 6      | 43     | 185    |
| 14       | Himachal Pradesh         | 22     | 199    | 170    |
| 15       | Jammu &Kashmir           | 13     | 217    | 113    |
| 16       | Jharkhand                | 457    | 740    | 1133   |
| 17       | Karnataka                | 295    | 831    | 1333   |
| 18       | Kerala                   | 91     | 165    | 456    |
| 19       | Lakshadweep              | 0      | 0      | 0      |
| 20       | Madhya Pradesh           | 294    | 2,675  | 4781   |
| 21       | Maharashtra              | 721    | 1,874  | 3487   |
| 22       | Manipur                  | 1,286  | 1,105  | 1094   |
| 23       | Meghalaya                | 1,373  | 966    | 1454   |
| 24       | Mizoram                  | 2,468  | 1,318  | 1587   |
| 25       | Nagaland                 | 722    | 678    | 930    |
| 26       | Odisha                   | 1,467  | 2,763  | 4416   |
| 27       | Puducherry               | 0      | 0      | 9      |
| 28       | Punjab                   | 7      | 45     | 320    |
| 29       | Rajasthan                | 90     | 66     | 260    |
| 30       | Sikkim                   | 3      | 0      | 8      |
| 31       | Tamil Nadu               | 95     | 113    | 301    |
| 32       | Telangana *              | 1,052  | 1,154  | 1748   |
| 33       | Tripura                  | 476    | 346    | 431    |
| 34       | Uttar Pradesh            | 130    | 691    | 1170   |
| 35       | Uttarakhand              | 207    | 1,501  | 376    |
| 36       | West Bengal              | 138    | 142    | 364    |
|          | Grand Total              | 15,937 | 24,817 | 35,888 |

ANNEXURE-II

ANNEXURE  REFFERED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (d)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 4056 DUE FOR 04.01.2019 REGARDING FOREST FIRE ASKED  BY  DR.  RAMESH  POKHRIYAL  'NISHANK',  SHRI  KIRTI  VARDHAN SINGH and SHRI R. DHRUVA NARAYANA

(Rs. in lakhs)

| S. No.            | States            | 2015-16 Released   | 2016-17 Released   | 2017-18 Released   | 2018-19 Released (As on 31.12.2018)   |
|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------|--------------------|--------------------|---------------------------------------|
| Other States      | Other States      | Other States       | Other States       | Other States       | Other States                          |
| 1                 | Andhra Pradesh    | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 260.06                                |
| 2                 | Bihar             | 59.09              | 88.59              | 75.00              | 57.17                                 |
| 3                 | Chhattisgarh      | 120.75             | 211.04             | 168.00             | 104.60                                |
| 4                 | Gujarat           | 179.99             | 122.26             | 75.00              | 92.16                                 |
| 5                 | Goa               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 6                 | Haryana           | 77.86              | 93.91              | 75.00              | 0.00                                  |
| 7                 | Himachal Pradesh  | 302.16             | 331.36             | 276.70             | 0.00                                  |
| 8                 | Jammu& Kashmir    | 193.93             | 95.61              | 75.00              | 0.00                                  |
| 9                 | Jharkhand         | 83.62              | 199.63             | 105.00             | 107.84                                |
| 10                | Karnataka         | 228.19             | 203.27             | 105.00             | 148.36                                |
| 11                | Kerala            | 86.00              | 163.65             | 234.53             | 220.83                                |
| 12                | Madhya Pradesh    | 420.00             | 281.15             | 168.00             | 572.08                                |
| 13                | Maharashtra       | 447.32             | 372.58             | 321.58             | 629.76                                |
| 14                | Orissa            | 136.00             | 266.14             | 168.00             | 348.01                                |
| 15                | Punjab            | 77.00              | 0.00               | 75.00              | 0.00                                  |
| 16                | Rajasthan         | 112.54             | 174.22             | 105.00             | 98.82                                 |
| 17                | Tamil Nadu        | 203.02             | 74.29              | 105.00             | 0.00                                  |
| 18                | Telangana         | 0.00               | 0.00               | 105.00             | 0.00                                  |
| 19                | Uttar Pradesh     | 156.15             | 139.72             | 75.00              | 100.61                                |
| 20                | Uttarakhand       | 356.83             | 304.03             | 168.00             | 438.38                                |
| 21                | West Bengal       | 0.00               | 92.83              | 75.00              | 54.14                                 |
|                   | Total             | 3240.45            | 3214.28            | 2554.81            | 3232.82                               |
| NE &Sikkim        | NE &Sikkim        | NE &Sikkim         | NE &Sikkim         | NE &Sikkim         | NE &Sikkim                            |
| 1                 | Assam             | 0                  | 0                  | 0.00               | 93.23                                 |
| 2                 | Arunachal Pradesh | 85.07              | 181.34             | 102.00             | 0.00                                  |
| 3                 | Manipur           | 240.76             | 125.02             | 219.88             | 181.73                                |
| 4                 | Meghalaya         | 180.26             | 126.57             | 104.63             | 113.53                                |
| 5                 | Mizoram           | 153.17             | 131.29             | 90.59              | 88.37                                 |
| 6                 | Nagaland          | 122.6              | 170.01             | 92.56              | 66.49                                 |
| 7                 | Sikkim            | 150                | 119.73             | 148.59             | 0.00                                  |
| 8                 | Tripura           | 147.19             | 190.76             | 66.00              | 65.40                                 |
|                   | Total             | 1079.05            | 1044.72            | 824.25             | 608.75                                |
| Union Territories | Union Territories | Union Territories  | Union Territories  | Union Territories  | Union Territories                     |
| 1                 | A&NIslands        | 28.00              | 56.23              | 9.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 2                 | Chandigarh        | 36.99              | 74.52              | 8.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 3                 | D&N Haveli        | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 4                 | Daman &Diu        | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 5                 | Lakshadweep       | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00               | 0.00                                  |
| 6                 | New Delhi         | 0.00               | 50.00              | 30.00              | 0.00                                  |
| 7                 | Pondicherry       | 0.00               | 0.00               | 30.00              | 0.00                                  |
|                   | Total             | 64.99              | 180.75             | 77.00              | 0.00                                  |
|                   | Grand Total       | 4384.49            | 4439.75            | 3456.06            | 3841.57                               |