Fires destroy around one hectare urban forest in Pune’s Warje area

Warje urban forest faces fire threats from nearby slum residents, damaging over one hectare. The forest department plans to raise the boundary wall for protection.

Awarded as one of the country’s role model urban forest, the green belt at Warje faces threat of fires allegedly set by people living in the nearby slum. According to Pune forest department officials, over one hectare of the green lung in Smriti Van area has been affected by fires in the last 15 days, including the incident that took place on Monday that damaged nearly half hectare of the protected area.

In June 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared Warje urban forest, also known as Smriti Van, as the country’s role model for setting up the green belt under public-private partnership. (HT PHOTO)

The forest department found the cause of fire as man-made and filed a case.

In June 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared Warje urban forest, also known as Smriti Van, as the country’s role model for setting up the green belt under public-private partnership. The Pune forest department has constructed a six-inch-thick boundary wall under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds to protect the area.

Deepak Pawar, assistant conservator of forests, Pune forest department, said, “After receiving the alert, our team rushed to the spot and took efforts to douse the fire. The flames have affected a large area and burnt four-foot-high trees.”

According to an official, one person was detained from Kothrud for a fire incident that took place in the recent past. The setting up of fires could be an act of revenge by those who were pulled up by the forest department for encroachment and trespass.

“The grass-cutting work is going on at the urban forest. The miscreants used the collected heaps of dry grass to set up fire,” said Pawar.

Kishor Moholkar, founder of Nisarga Seva Sanstha that carries out tree plantation and conservation drives in Warje urban forest, said, “People of nearby slum visit the forest area to hold parties. The recent fires have burnt nearly 15,000 trees, including about 5,000 planted in the last three years.”

Forest dept plans to increase height of boundary wall

Following recent incidents of fires in the urban forest in Warje, the forest department is planning to increase the height of six-foot boundary wall to 10-11-foot. “A meeting is scheduled with Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) this week as we will demand ₹80 lakh for the project, besides requesting the civic body to appoint four persons to guard the forest area,” said Pawar.