Weeks after fire, locals continue burning crops in Bandipur

We had reported earlier that the 4,000 hectares of forest cover that was lost in last month’s massive fire at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve and National Park will take at least 30 years to re-green. The fire that began on February 21 has reduced everything in its path to ashes. Rain showers lasting around 30 minutes on two successive days earlier in the week did little to help the situation.
Gopalaswamy Hills is unrecognisable
The worst affected is, perhaps, the Gopalaswamy Hills, which is unrecognisable.“There is only one tree left standing there, and that is also burnt,” says conservationist Joseph Hoover. “There are shola forests in Bandipur that are water sponges of the forest — they ensure that there is continuous flow of water into rivers and streams. Some of them were also burnt in the fire; thankfully the bigger shola kept the fire from spreading further,” he adds.
Hardly any animals in sight
Chinthana Gopinath, who has a property in Bandipur, says that she hasn’t seen too many animals since the fire. “I have been able to see just one small herd of deer, where earlier, deer were aplenty in this region. I am not sure if they have moved out, but there isn’t much left in the forest for them. As you drive through the gate of the reserve, all you see is entire hills burnt and a lot of the forest floor turned to ash,” she says.
Microorganism loss a bigger worry
Joseph says that the bigger worry is the loss of microorganisms. “Reptiles and ground-dwelling mammals and birds — snakes, lizards, nightjars and pipits — are likely to have perished in the fire, but the bigger impact is the loss of microorganisms, because that is what is required to recover the forest. The carbon percentage needs to be at 1%, but now, it is an ocean of ash — it is completely carbon,” he says.
More vigilant patrolling
A couple of days ago, Chinthana saw farmers burning their crop down the road from her property. “Given that the fire was very bad this year, we are seeing more patrolling, with more guards pushed into action. A couple of days ago, a farmer set his field on fire. Such fires are quite common in these parts, and since it’s very windy here, the fire tends to spread easily. But this time, the guards got the farmer to stop immediately,” she says.