Lok Sabha Question No. 768 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-14
Subject: Forest Fire
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: MAHEISH GIRRI

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 768

TO BE ANSWERED ON 14.12.2018

## Forest Fire

## 768.  SHRI MAHEISH GIRRI:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  taken  any  initiatives  in  coordination  with  National  Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)  to  strengthen the Forest Fire Early Warning  and  Control Mechanism in the country, making it more effective;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government along with the Forest Protection Division with National Disaster Management Authority, National Institute of Disaster Management and Ministry of Defence took  any  exigent  measures  and  coordinated  with  the  State  Governments  to  effectively control and douze the forest fires taking the shape of disaster and beyond the capacity of State Forest Department; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  & (b) The Forest Survey of India monitors the fire incidences in the country based on the data  received  from  various  sources  including  National  Remote  Sensing  Centre (NRSC). Based on analysis of data, it provides fire alerts to various authorities and the public in the States/UTs on registered mobile numbers at an interval of 6 hours every day. Early Warning System for forest fire is functional at FSI since 2016. The Early Warning alerts are generated every Friday during the Fire season (JanuaryJune) and are valid during the ensuring week. The Early Warning alerts are sent to the Nodal officers of concerned States/UTs for taking requisite action in the alerted forest areas. These alerts are based on parameters like Forest Cover, Forest Type, Climate Variables like (Temperature and Rainfall) and recent fire incidences over the area (raw fire hotspots received from NRSC and processed at FSI. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) continuously observes the forest fire incidents and provides information to State Authorities for prevention and control of forest fire.
- (c) & (d) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has prepared a National Action Plan on Forest Fire which has been sent to various States/UTs Government for taking appropriate action. The Forest Protection Division of the Ministry is the Nodal  Division  for  Disaster  Management  related  to  forest  fires.  The  Forest Protection  Division      coordinates  with  National  Disaster  Management  Authority (NDMA),  National  Institute  of  Disaster  Management  (NIDM)  and  Ministry  of Defence to take any exigent measure to effectively control and douse forest fires taking  the  shape  of  disaster  which  are  beyond  the  capacity  of  State  Forest Department. The Ministry has also constituted a Crisis Management Group under the  chairmanship  of  Secretary  (EF&CC),  which  has  representatives  of  various Ministries as its members to deal with crisis arising due to disaster caused by forest fire.

*******