Forest Fire Management in India
Legal and Institutional Framework
Forest fire management in India is governed by a combination of central legislation and operational guidelines. The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980 and the Indian Forest Act, 1927 provide the overarching legal framework; specific fire management guidelines are issued by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
- Forest Survey of India (FSI): Under MoEFCC; publishes the biennial India State of Forest Report (ISFR) which includes fire-prone area mapping; FSI uses ISRO's SNPP-VIIRS and MODIS satellite data for near-real-time fire alerts
- Forest Fire Alert System (FFAS): FSI operates a satellite-based fire detection and alerting system covering all Indian forests; alerts are sent within hours of satellite pass to state forest departments
- National Action Plan on Forest Fires (NAPFF): Launched 2018; aims to reduce forest fires through community engagement, early warning systems, and prescribed burning practices
- Prescribed burning: Controlled use of fire to reduce accumulated dry fuel load before the peak fire season — reduces severity of uncontrolled wildfires; not yet widely practised in India but recommended in NAPFF
- India loses an estimated 33,000 sq. km of forest annually to fires (FSI data); Central India, Eastern Ghats, and the Himalayan foothills are most affected nationally; Western Ghats fires are ecologically more damaging due to higher endemism
● Tracked since March 09, 2026 · last seen March 17, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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