The fire department has recorded as many as 323 cases of forest fires in Pune since January this year with as many as 141 out of these recorded in February, 128 in March, and 54 in January. During one such incident at Susgaon Hill on March 20, the department had to deploy three vehicles to help the forest department douse the fire and it wasn’t before more than three hours that the situation was brought under control.
This year, the city is experiencing above normal temperatures since January. Higher temperatures have resulted in early dryness of the bushes on the hills and inadequate water supply has worsened the situation. Moreover, private land in the hills has been neglected as no one pays attention to removing dry bushes and grass at the foothills or on the slopes, leading in turn to larger forest fires that pose a threat to vegetation and wildlife in forest areas. So much so that even the fire department faces difficulties in assisting the forest department to douse these fires.
Nilesh Mahajan, public relations officer (PRO) of the fire department, said, “In yesterday’s case, we received information about the fire incident at around 10.15 pm. Three vehicles were deployed to douse the fire, and it took us over three hours to bring the situation under control. The major challenge was to reach the location. As it was hilly terrain and there was no proper road, it was difficult for the officials to move the vehicles. The fire spread across a vast area, posing challenges.”
Sagar Hole, a forest guard in this area, said, “The fire spread from the foothills to the top of the hill within a short period of time. Most of the area affected is private land and nearly one hectare of forest area was impacted in this incident. Fortunately, no wildlife losses have been reported so far. We have registered a case against an unknown person and investigation will be carried out to track the cause of the fire.”
Another official requesting anonymity said, “In Pune, the hills fall under two categories: private ownership and forest land. The grass in forest areas is cleared however that in private areas remains as it is and nobody pays attention. People think that setting the grass afire is easier than cutting it but they tend to ignore the ill effects of forest fires. In the Sus area, the perception is that the fire was started by people involved in construction activities to clear the land.”
