Lok Sabha Question No. 987 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-29
Subject: Rise in Forest Fire Incidents
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Adv. Adoor Prakash

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 987

TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.07.2024

## Rise in Forest Fire Incidents

## 987 ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH :

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

- (a) whether the Government is aware that forest fire incidents are increasing at alarming rate in many States;
- (b) if so, the number of forest fire cases and the loss of forest and wildlife reported during the last three years and the current year, State-wise;
- (c) whether special teams under National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for handling forest fire incidents has been formed as decided by the Government;
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the role and functions of the special teams; and
- (e) whether the Government has done any consultation with State Governments to prevent forest fire, if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH)

- (a) & (b) Seasonal  forest  fires  occur  every  year  due  to  various  natural  and  anthropogenic reasons including accumulations of inflammable materials such as dry leaves, twigs, pine needles, etc. Most of the forest fires in the country are ground fires in which ground  vegetation,  etc.  are  burnt.  The  number  of  incidences  of  forest  fire  in  the country  varies  from  year  to  year  depending  on  the  vulnerability  of  the  forests  to various forest fire risk factors.

In the forest fire season (November 2023 to June 2024), the total number of forest fires detected by the Forest Survey of India is 2,03,544 while in the previous forest fire  season  (November 2022 to June 2023) number of forest fires detected by the Forest Survey of India was 2,12,249, which is more than the incidents reported in forest fire season (November 2023 to June 2024).

The State-wise number of forest fire detections by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), using satellite-mounted sensor in the last four forest fire seasons (November 2020 to June 2024) are given in Annexure . No estimation of loss of forest and wildlife due to forest fire in the country has been made by the Ministry.

- (c) & (d) The  Ministry  in  coordination  with  the  National  Disaster  Management  Authority (NDMA)  and  the  National  Disaster  Response  Force  (NDRF),  has  trained  three battalions of the NDRF, comprising 150 personnel to tackle large forest fires.  These battalions are stationed at Guwahati, Vijaywada, Dehradun and deployed as per the requirements to control forest fires. They supplement the efforts of the State Forest Departments in tackling the large forest fires.
- (e) The Ministry has prepared and circulated a National Action Plan on Forest Fires in consultation  with  the  State  Governments.  The  Action  Plan  has  strategies  for  the prevention and management of forest fires. In line with the National Action Plan, several State Governments have prepared State Action Plans to address the risk and incidences of forest fires.

For timely detection and monitoring of forest fires, the Forest Survey of India (FSI) has put in place a satellite-based 'Forest Fire Monitoring and Alert system'. The forest fire alerts are disseminated through SMS and e-mail to the registered users in States and UTs.

The Ministry assists the State Governments and Union Territory Administrations in the prevention and control of forest fires by providing financial assistance under the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) -Forest Fire Prevention and Management.

In  addition,  a  24x7  Disaster  Management  Control  Room  has  been  set  up  in  the Ministry to monitor forest fire incidences in the country and to collaborate with the concerned  disaster  management  agencies  such  as  National  Disaster  Management Authority  (NDMA),  National  Disaster  Response  Force  (NDRF),  State  Disaster Management  Authorities  (SDMAs),  District  Disaster  Management  Authorities (DDMAs), State Control Rooms and the Control Room in Ministry of Home Affairs for necessary coordination in controlling forest fires.

The Ministry has issued advisories to the States/UTs to generate awareness among the forest fringe communities to protect the forests from fire from time to time.

Before the start of the forest fire season and during the forest fire season every year, meetings between the Central Government and the States/UTs are held regularly to monitor and review the forest fire situation. In the last forest fire season such meetings at various levels, viz., National Crisis Management Committee, Secretary (Environment, Forests and Climate Change), Director General of Forests and Special Secretary (DGF&SS) and Inspector General of Forests (Forest Protection Division), Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, etc., were held at different times of the forest fire season.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED IN THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 987 DUE FOR REPLY ON 29.07.2024 REGARDING RISE IN FOREST FIRE INCIDENTS ASKED BY ADV. ADOOR PRAKASH

State-wise number of forest fire detections by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), using satellite-mounted sensor in the last four fire seasons (November 2020 to June 2024).

| Sr. No   | State/UT                           | SNPP-VIIRS Detections   | SNPP-VIIRS Detections   | SNPP-VIIRS Detections   | SNPP-VIIRS Detections   |
|----------|------------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------------|
| Sr. No   | State/UT                           | Nov 2020 to Jun 2021    | Nov 2021 to Jun 2022    | Nov 2022 to Jun 2023    | Nov 2023 to Jun 2024    |
| 1        | Andhra Pradesh                     | 19,328                  | 14,138                  | 19,367                  | 18,174                  |
| 2        | Arunachal Pradesh                  | 3,914                   | 3,449                   | 2,447                   | 2,053                   |
| 3        | Assam                              | 10,718                  | 8,158                   | 9,830                   | 7,639                   |
| 4        | Bihar                              | 5,179                   | 3,024                   | 3,793                   | 2,763                   |
| 5        | Chhattisgarh                       | 38,106                  | 25,792                  | 20,306                  | 18,950                  |
| 6        | Delhi                              | 14                      | 3                       | 7                       | 16                      |
| 7        | Goa                                | 45                      | 20                      | 147                     | 36                      |
| 8        | Gujarat                            | 3,803                   | 2,769                   | 2,342                   | 3,182                   |
| 9        | Haryana                            | 152                     | 135                     | 82                      | 166                     |
| 10       | Himachal Pradesh                   | 4,110                   | 5,280                   | 704                     | 10,136                  |
| 11       | Jharkhand                          | 21,713                  | 9,419                   | 11,923                  | 7,525                   |
| 12       | Karnataka                          | 5,784                   | 4,973                   | 13,074                  | 5,500                   |
| 13       | Kerala                             | 296                     | 504                     | 1,550                   | 1,110                   |
| 14       | Madhya Pradesh                     | 47,795                  | 32,728                  | 17,142                  | 15,878                  |
| 15       | Maharashtra                        | 34,025                  | 22,052                  | 16,119                  | 16,008                  |
| 16       | Manipur                            | 10,457                  | 5,544                   | 10,127                  | 4,498                   |
| 17       | Meghalaya                          | 7,658                   | 6,322                   | 6,604                   | 4,319                   |
| 18       | Mizoram                            | 12,846                  | 8,734                   | 5,798                   | 6,627                   |
| 19       | Nagaland                           | 4,975                   | 3,471                   | 3,882                   | 2,609                   |
| 20       | Odisha                             | 51,968                  | 22,014                  | 33,461                  | 20,973                  |
| 21       | Punjab                             | 635                     | 428                     | 119                     | 605                     |
| 22       | Rajasthan                          | 3,402                   | 2,703                   | 2,059                   | 4,352                   |
| 23       | Sikkim                             | 63                      | 26                      | 49                      | 101                     |
| 24       | Tamil Nadu                         | 1,220                   | 1,035                   | 1,998                   | 3,380                   |
| 25       | Telangana                          | 18,237                  | 13,737                  | 13,117                  | 13,479                  |
| 26       | Tripura                            | 5,015                   | 2,609                   | 4,332                   | 2,089                   |
| 27       | Uttar Pradesh                      | 8,608                   | 5,428                   | 3,235                   | 4,424                   |
| 28       | Uttarakhand                        | 21,487                  | 12,985                  | 5,351                   | 21,033                  |
| 29       | West Bengal                        | 3,287                   | 1,520                   | 3,096                   | 2,020                   |
| 30       | Andaman &Nicobar Islands           | 16                      | 33                      | 20                      | 21                      |
| 31       | Chandigarh                         | 0                       | 0                       | 1                       | 1                       |
| 32       | Dadra &Nagar Haveli and Daman &Diu | 34                      | 18                      | 16                      | 16                      |
| 33       | Jammu &Kashmir                     |                         | 4,255                   | 131                     | 3,829                   |
| 34       | Ladakh*                            | 1,098                   | 27                      | 20                      | 32                      |
| 35       | Lakshadweep                        | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| 36       | Puducherry                         | 1                       | 0                       | 0                       | 0                       |
| Total    | Total                              | 3,45,989                | 2,23,333                | 2,12,249                | 2,03,544                |