By P. Sudhakar A devastating fire engulfing flora near the Adavi Nainar reservoir near the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. Photo: A. Shaikmohideen Tirunelveli June 9. Flora and fauna on the Western Ghats near Adavi Nainar reservoir, which suffered a significant loss due a devastating forest fire on March 4, are being wiped out by another major blaze. According to villagers of Maekkarai, a small hamlet close to the reservoir, the fire broke out on Saturday last and spread rapidly in all directions as gusty western wind had been blowing for the past 15 days. "When we informed forest officials about it, they said the fire broke out only in the Thiruvaavaduthurai Mutt land and not in the reserve forest area. In fact, the fire broke out only in the reserve forest area. Had the forest officials started fire-fighting operations early, the magnitude of the loss could have been minimised. The officials have failed to control the flames, which are spreading fast," a villager said. Since the topography of the affected area resembles a pass, the velocity of the wind is higher than in other areas, which helps the fire spread rapidly. Lemon grass in the entire area has dried up completely due to the worst-ever summer and this has stoked the wild fire further. Maintaining that the fire was noticed only on Sunday afternoon, the District Forest Officer, D. Raveendranathan, told The Hindu that the blaze affected only three acres in the reserve forest area, but destroyed plantations on 50 acres in a nearby estate. "Initial enquiries reveal that the fire could have broken out on the estate first, owned by a Salem-based businessman, and later spread to our area," he claimed. Contesting Mr. Raveendranathan's claims, a Forest department official said the fire was still in the reserve forest area and was spreading swiftly towards the elevated parts of the Western Ghats. "We could extinguish only a part of the fire. It is still razing dried trees and priceless medicinal plants. The department, owing to paucity of funds, cannot hire more personnel. More importantly, we could not begin taking precautionary measures such as creation of fire-lines, normally taken before the commencement of summer. The ground-level sumps constructed deep inside the forest are not being filled with water for animals and we can see them migrating throughout the day," he said. я