IIFM Hosts Two-Day Firefighting Workshop

Hyderabad: A two-day workshop on revamping forest-firefighting tools and equipment to tackle forest fires is being held with the participation of forest department officials from various states began here on Thursday. Officials discussed the consequences of fire incidents in forests across the country.

Chief conservator of forests R.M. Dobriyal said most forest fires were caused by human error. He warned of severe ecological and environmental impacts and stressed the importance of preventive measures to avoid such disasters.

The event, organised by the Indian Institute of Forest Management, also featured the release of a book titled “Forest Fire Management in Telangana” by Telangana forest officer Siripurapu Madhav Rao.

S. Rajesh, inspector-general of forests, Union environment, forest, and climate change, shared a detailed analysis of the states most affected by forest fires, noting that Uttarakhand recorded the highest number of incidents last year.

NDRF inspector-general Narendra Singh Bundel assured that his teams would continue collaborating with the forest department. “We formed three specialised units, one of which operates from Vijayawada, to address fire emergencies in South India,” he said.