Mini water mist fire tenders to battle wildfires in Kerala
After the devastating floods in the second week of August, climate experts have predicted severe summer and drought ahead. To combat this, the state government is planning to bring mini water mist fire tenders to efficiently combat forest fire during the coming summer.
In 2016, the state received 165 satellite-based fire-alerts from the Forest Fire Alert System, a national database maintained by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), Dehradun. During the 2009-10 period, the state lost over 5,000 hectares of pristine forest land to fire. In February 2017, a raging forest fire reduced 100 hectares of grassland and verdant forest to ashes. There were hundreds of forest fires triggered by the severe drought, which threatened the state’s rich biodiversity. In March, Kerala Forests Minister K Raju said some 440 fires had destroyed about 2,100 hectares of forest.
The state government has accorded administrative sanction for fabricating two mini forest fire responder vehicles which would cost around Rs 63.72 lakh, to combat wildfire. Earlier, the government had given sanction for fabricating vehicles for fire fighting for a total amount of Rs 54 lakh. But the purchase of fabricated vehicles could not be materialised due to various reasons. Now, the Steering Committee of the State CAMPA approved the purchase of two ‘mini water mist fire tenders’ for the Kerala Forest Department’ which will be helpful to efficiently combat forest fires. The forest fire responder vehicles will have accessibility in hilly locations in the forest where fire breakouts cannot be handled easily by the department. The high-pressure pump system associated with the vehicle will generate a fine mist foam and water fire suppressant and contain fire from spreading to other regions, said a TNIE report.
In India, this will be the first attempt by a state forest department to employ mini water mist fire tenders.
