Improved monitoring, community alerts, and intermittent rains contribute to reduced fire incidents.
Vijayawada: Despite the rise in day temperatures, forest fires have come down to 4,000 between November 2024 and March 2025, against 6,000 for the same period last year in Andhra Pradesh.
The foresters claim credit for this and say they had stepped up vigil against forest fires, doused them immediately and avoided their spread to more areas. The intermittent showers in parts of the state for a brief period also helped in growth of grass on moist lands, which controlled the spread of fires in forests, they admit.
The forest authorities have registered the mobile phones of 21,500 persons from the villages located close to the forests so that they would get immediate alerts in case of a fire. The Centre uses state-of-the-art technology with the help of satellites and sensors to detect forest fires and alert officers down to the forest beat officer.
As the AP forests witness only ground fire and no crown fire like in other forests, the forest authorities start all preparations even before the commencement of forest fires. The fires normally occur between November and June, until the southwest monsoon brings rainfall.
Brief showers occur in parts of Rayalaseema region, including Anantapur and Kurnool and also the north Andhra region of Chinthapalli and the coastal Andhra region.
Fire monitoring cell nodal officer S Siva Kumar said, “We had less number of forest fires in AP this season due to our enhanced vigil and due to periodic showers that are helping raise grass that avoid spread of forest fires.”
