Forest Dept to use drones to detect fires in Chikkamagalur; Forest fire in Kodagu

CHIKKAMAGALUR, MADIKERI: With repeated forest fires at the foot of the Mullayyanagiri hills, the Forest Department has now deployed drones to protest the Chadradrona hill ranges including Mullayyanagiri and the Baba Budangiri Datta Peetha.

The Western Ghats sees thousands of people, including tourists, every day and the drones will help the Forest Department detect whether the forest fires are caused by tourists, locals or accidental.

Some places, like hilltops, are not accessible to the fire tenders and any forest fire will have to be put out manually. The drones will help alert the Forest Department to any forest fire so that they can act quickly and prevent destruction of large areas of the forests.

Meanwhile in Kodagu district, a forest fire broke out at the Igguthappa Naladi hills on Wednesday evening near Malma and Kakkabbe.

The fire burned through the night, destroying about 20 acres of forest. The Forest Department staff, along with help from locals, were engaged in putting out the fire.