Battling Blaze at Sariska: Heatwave, Wind, Aravalli Affecting Ops; Officials Say Situation Far From Over

It has been over three days, and there seems to be no end in sight to the massive fire that has engulfed the vast acres of forest at Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, which houses as many as 27 tigers, and other wildlife species, including leopards and Nilgai.

The firefighting operations resumed on Wednesday morning, with staff from three ranges of Sariska, Alwar and Dausa struggling to combat the fire.

“The situation is slightly better than before, but far from over. The teams have been able to contain the fire from spreading further but it is still raging and the operation will continue,” said Deputy Conservator of Forests, Alwar, AK Srivastava.

The high speed winds are making it extremely difficult for the staff to carry out operations as the ember and debris are posing major hindrances to the workers when they move uphill, said Srivastava. “The steeper the slope, the more the fire spreads,” he added.

On Tuesday, the Indian Air Force said it has deployed two Mi 17 V5 helicopters, which are undertaking Bambi Bucket operations. The helicopters are attacking the fire from above, collecting buckets of water from the Siliserh Lake and dropping it over the forests.

Searing Heatwave Conditions

Essentially, it is the fuel load, topography and the weather that determine how far the wildfire will engulf the forest, and in case of Sariska, all three have favoured the raging fire. The undulating slopes of the Aravalli range are complicating the operations as the ember and burnt material are hindering the workers as they move uphill. It is further being spurred by strong winds, which are enabling the fire move faster than it normally would. The dry vegetation is ensuring the fire surges on.

In addition to this, the dry weather conditions and arid forests have worsened the disaster, with a searing heatwave sweeping across the state. On Tuesday, the temperatures were above normal by 4-7 degree Celsius in several parts of East Rajasthan, hovering around 39.6 degree Celsius over Alwar and 40 degrees Celsius in Jaipur. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there is likely to be no respite from the heat in the next few days. A heatwave warning has already been sounded for East Rajasthan till 3 April.

Home to 27 Tigers

More information is awaited, but according to the forest department, the animals are likely to have escaped the fire, and fled into the plains. Sariska is one of the key tiger reserves in the country and part of the Project Tiger. It is home to as many as 27 tigers, which includes 11 tigresses, nine tigers and as many as seven cubs. The addition of two of the new cubs was confirmed early this March. It is also the first tiger reserve to have successfully relocated Royal Bengal tigers in India for the purpose of tiger conservation in designated areas.

India has already lost 126 tigers in 2021, which is the highest to date, according to the data from the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Many of them fell prey to poachers, while others died in accidents or man-animal conflicts outside protected areas.

According to the 2018 tiger estimation report, India is home to as many as 2,967 tigers in the wild, with more than half of them in Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. According to the government, the tiger population has increased by 33% since the last census in 2014 when the total estimate was 2,226.

Located in the Aravalli Hills, 35 km from Alwar and roughly 250 km from Delhi, the Sariska forest reserve also shelters many other wildlife species, including leopards, Nilgai, Sambar, chital, and birds such as the Indian peafowl, sand grouse, crested serpent eagles, sand grouse, tree pies, golden backed woodpeckers, great Indian horned owls, as well as vultures.

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