A few days ago, a forest fire broke out in the Nonpareil Reserve in Balangoda, with reports that the flames have torched over 1,000 acres of reserve as of yesterday(15). Its impact on the environment and the ecosystems which it supports is massive. Climate change is increasing the risk of forest fires globally. While climate change does not directly affect human-caused ignitions of fires, it does increase the amount and size of natural areas that are fire-prone. And Sri Lanka has precious few acreages of forest reserves which it needs to protect. 

The island’s forest cover has reduced and human encroachment on forest reserves has already created a difficult situation for fauna and flora. Add to that mix, an increase of forest fires, and the crisis gets worse. In the mountainous regions of Sri Lanka, wind gusts, and dried vegetation often lead to forest fires spreading quickly. And increasingly forest fires are triggered by deliberate uncontrolled torching of vegetation by people. While there is little evidence to say if arson has been the cause of many, few studies have been done to identify human causes which trigger forest fires.

Yesterday, like on many occasions, the nation called on those in olive green uniforms to come to aid of an incident which it would not traditionally be tasked with. However, when it comes to the need of many hands, who can work skillfully and orderly under stressful situations, Sri Lanka turns to the Sri Lanka Army and its sister services, the Navy and Air Force. Army troops were deployed to help control the forest fire in Balangoda. When you see the Army respond to such a crisis, which is often handled by civilian entities, you notice that the troops respond with only a few tools and little or no protection. Often, they are left to improvise and adapt, something the Army is good at. However, to see armed forces personnel battle forest fires without flame resistant protective clothing, without respirators to keep the smoke out of their lungs, and eyes, with only basic jungle boots, and handheld tools,is the sight that one spells poor governance. While the armed forces train for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) missions, troops are visibly ill-equipped for the task they are deployed for.

While the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and their district units get funds allocated for specialist equipment to respond to such fire incidents, the armed forces are not. In the event they are, it is for a group of small, specialised units which are there for critical military and aviation fire duties, and less so for such tasks as dealing with forest fires. It is also likely that armed forces personnel do not receive adequate specialised training to fight forest fires. Nevertheless, they answer the call and do their best. With no paved roads onto mountain sides, and no all-terrain firefighting vehicles at their disposal, the armed forces personnel are left to their ingenuity and skills to survive and battle the blaze.

While successive governments have been satisfied with the ad hoc – low-cost option of sending armed forces personnel in harm’s way, ill-equipped, the changing weather patterns and global warning dictate that we are likely to see more forest fires in the future. As such, the time is ripe for the Government to pay this issue some serious thought. 

Sri Lanka needs an updated policy on forestry and conservation, while also addressing key capacity gaps, such as controlling forest fires, deterring unplanned and unregulated burning of peripheral lands, and providing the right tools and training for specialists to fight forest fires when they occur. Given the rapid urbanisation of Sri Lanka, particularly along the coastal belt, and around cities, the Government should also be prudent to review building safety and fire codes, improve regulations and compliance checking mechanisms, and beef up urban firefighting mechanisms as well.