Goa forest fires: 71 spots attended to in 10 days; no active flames left, says minister

PANAJI, MRCH 14 : At least 71 fire spots were attended to in the forests of Goa, including Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, in the last 10 days, state Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane said on Tuesday.

Rane had earlier in the day tweeted that there were presently no active flames in the forest areas.

The minister chaired a high-level meeting to review the situation of forest fires that began on March 5.

Talking to reporters, Rane said Chief Wildlife Warden Saurabh Kumar made a presentation on the updated status of fires in Goa, the nature and likely causes of these fires and actions being taken by the forest department.

Since March 5, at least 71 fire spots were attended to and doused by agencies such as the fire and emergency services, forest department, Indian Navy, Air Force and others, he said.

Officials of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were present for the meeting.

Rane further said that a discussion was also held about including Goa in the National Forest Fire Prevention and Management Plan being prepared by the NDMA and MHA.

The NDMA has advised the forest department to assess the areas affected by fires and take corrective measures at the earliest.

The state government will prepare a comprehensive forest fire management plan to prevent and manage forest fires, he said.

-PTI