Turahalli forest catches wildfire and raised concerns for biodiversity

Picture used for representational purpose only

On Saturday night, wildfires were recorded in Turahalli forest on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the fourth in a month, completely destroying 11 acres of forest.

“We are not sure to what extent the fire has destroyed the forest, However, with so many bird species, the forest’s biodiversity has certainly been impacted.” Abdul Aleem, president of Kanakapura Road Changemakers, said.

It has been over a month since over 4,000 residents took to the streets demanding that the Turahalli forest be secured by erecting a fence, installing CCTV cameras, and increasing the number of guards, he continued. The forest service has neglected to offer these services, which has resulted in accidents like this.

Residents said putting out the fires would be a Herculean task due to the forest’s lack of access roads for fire tenders.
Clean Up Turahalli member Soumya Kashyap said I’ve been living near the forest for nearly six years. We face this situation every summer, but we all know that fire does not occur naturally.

With two months left in the summer, residents worry that more fires will erupt.
Gopal AA, a range forest officer, said that the fire was not normal. “We’ve filed an FIR, but what we know right now is that it’s a man-made tragedy. We’ve increased the number of night guards from two to three, and we’re waiting for more information,” he added.

Following Saturday’s forest fire, Talaghattapura police discovered the burnt body of a man near Gowdanapalya, which is close to the affected area, on Sunday afternoon.

On Sunday, firefighters extinguished the fires. Officials were about to enter the forest to investigate habitat loss when they discovered a body in a stream. We’ve sent it in for an autopsy. The individual appeared to have been burned in the blast, according to reports.

The dead man’s identity has yet to be determined, according to police reports, but he appeared to be in his 30s or 35s. At the location where the body was discovered, there were signs of burning.