India Sees Forest Fire Surge, Experts Call For Stronger Action

By Santu Das

New Delhi: India has witnessed a rise in the forest fire incidences during the last forest fire season across the country, government data showed.

Forest fires present a persistent challenge in India, stemming from a mix of natural elements such as elevated temperatures, extended dry periods, and lightning, alongside human-induced factors like shifting agriculture, intentional burning for livestock feed, and accidental ignitions, among others.

These threats are exacerbated by the build-up of dry fuel, unpredictable rainfall, and increasing temperatures, especially in dry deciduous and hilly forest regions.

To effectively prevent and manage these fires, it is essential to establish strong early-warning systems, encourage community involvement, implement sufficient fire preparedness strategies, and ensure coordinated actions by both central and state governments.

Forests are essential for maintaining our environment as they provide oxygen, food, medicine, and livelihoods for millions of people.

The primary responsibility for forest protection, including fire prevention and management, lies with the relevant state governments and Union Territory administrations.

The occurrences of forest fires across the nation are monitored by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), located in Dehradun, utilising satellite-mounted sensors.

According to the data issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, across the country, the total number of forest fire incidents reported during the last forest fire season from November 2024 to June 2025 was drastically more as compared to the last season.

The total number of forest fire incidents reported was 34,765, more than the previous season. As per the data of the FSI, Dehradun, shared by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the total forest fire incidents detected in the forest fire season across the country from November 2023 to June 2024 were 2,03,544, and from November 2024 to June 2025, were 238,309.

According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, a biennial publication by the FSI, a total of 223,333 such incidents were reported in 2021-2022.

According to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the total forest cover is more than 36 per cent, while four per cent is classified as extremely prone and six per cent is categorised as very highly prone.

Steps taken by government to prevent forest fires

To tackle the occurrence of forest fires, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, via the FSI, offers pre-fire alerts (issued one week in advance), large forest fire alerts, and near real-time forest fire alerts to registered subscribers and officials of the state forest department to effectively combat forest fires.

The Ministry allocates financial support to the states and Union Territories under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme – Forest Fire Prevention and Management to address forest fire incidents.

The government has implemented significant measures to avert forest fires, including the establishment of the National Action Plan on Forest Fire, 2018, which outlines extensive strategies to prevent forest fires and bolster the resilience of forests against fire threats, as per the Ministry.

In addition to that, the state governments and Union Territory administrations are tasked with developing State Action Plans that align with the National Action Plan to execute specific measures for forest fire prevention and management tailored to their respective regions, it said.

The Environment Audit Rules 2025 stipulate the involvement of Registered Environment Auditors, who are accredited by the Environment Audit Designated Agency, in accordance with applicable environmental laws, rules, regulations, notifications, or directives issued by the government.

These rules mandate compliance verification, auditing, and other functions as determined by the central government periodically. The scope of these audits includes the examination of forest-fire prevention programmes, and the implementation of regular audits can aid in the early identification of violations or non-compliance, thus contributing to the prevention of fire incidents.

Experts speak

Environmental activist BS Vohra on Tuesday told ETV Bharat that forest fires in the country stem from a combination of natural and human-driven factors.

He said naturally, high temperatures, prolonged dry spells, drought conditions, and occasional lightning strikes dry out vegetation and create an environment where fires can ignite easily.

"Climate change has intensified these conditions by extending dry periods and increasing heatwaves. However, human activities remain the major contributors. Slash-and-burn cultivation, burning grass for grazing, negligence such as discarded cigarettes or unattended campfires, and deliberate fires for illegal timber collection or land encroachment significantly increase fire occurrences. Infrastructure failures like sparks from power lines also add to the risk," Vohra said.

Asserting that preventing forest fires requires a mix of policy action, community participation, and technology, the environment activist said," Strengthening early-warning systems through satellite monitoring, training forest staff, and enforcing strict penalties for intentional burning are crucial. Creating firebreaks, practising controlled burning, and involving local communities improve on-ground preparedness. Technological tools, such as drones, real-time alerts, and sensors, help detect fires early. "

Long-term solutions include restoring degraded forests, reducing fuel load, and managing invasive species to build fire-resilient ecosystems, he added.

Another environmental expert, Anil Gupta told ETV Bharat, "Whenever there is a forest fire, it reduces the green cover. Secondly, it causes the air pollution. Both are not good for human health as well as the environment."

He asserted that whenever there is a forest fire lot of rare species and animals also get troubled. "The forest may be sometime accidental. Sometimes the requirement of wood also leads to forest fire. Forest fire should be bare minimum. Now, we have lot of technologies to prevent it," the environmental expert said.

Gupta added, "I feel as compared to other countries of the world, India has least reported forest fires."

Here are some facts:

• Total forest cover in India is 7,15,343 sq km
• As many as 2,38,309 forest fire incidents reported during the forest fire season 2024 to 2025
• A total of 2,03,544 incidents reported in 2023 to 2024
• As many as 223,333 incidences reported in 2021-2022
• Total forest cover in India estimated to be prone to frequent forest fires is over 36 percent

Read more

1. India’s Forests On Fire: Threat Looms Over Environment, Wildlife, And Livelihoods