Kerala bans trekking in forest area

In the wake of the current forest fire killing atleast 14 in the Kolukkumalai hills in Tamil Nadu, the state government of Kerala has issued a ban in trekking to forest places.

All the wildlife sanctuaries have been temporarily closed. The forest fire in the Kurangini hills of Kolukkumalai in Theni has affected the nearby areas of Ramakkalmedu, Pukkulam Hills etc.

As the summer has set in, forest fires are a common phenomenon in the forest region. Telangana and Tamil Nadu were suffering from forest fires recently. Officials have received a total of 7,700 fire alerts since January 1 this year, of which 2,815 alerts were received between March 5 and 8. Similarly, 907 fire alerts were sent out in Karnataka in January alone. January,  to forest officers in the State. However, nearly 3,000 fire alerts have been sent out in February alone, an average of almost 100 alerts in a single day.

March is the month when 40 per cent of the fires happen as this is the time when trees prepare for summer by shedding leaves, and dry leaves catch fire easily.