Navy, IAF helicopters deployed in Goa Mhadei fires ; 28 extinguished, 3 still active, says minister

The Indian Navy, Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Forest Department were jointly helping to control the forest fires that broke out in Goa's Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, state minister Vishwajit Rane said on Thursday. The Indian Navy has deployed helicopters fitted with a 'large area aerial liquid dispersal device' to carry out combat operations to put out the fires from Tuesday, a defence spokesman said.

The sanctuary, located in the northeastern part of the state along the Karnataka border, has been witnessing fires at several places for the past six days. “An IAF helicopter conducted a reconnaissance of the sanctuary while the Indian Navy deployed four helicopters. The fire has been brought under control and we are monitoring the situation hourly,” said Rane. He said forest department officials are inside the sanctuary for firefighting operations and as on Thursday, three minor fires are active in the area.

"A total of 28 fires were extinguished on Wednesday. Smaller fires in Satrem and Derodem are being extinguished by helicopters of the Indian Navy," informed the minister. In a tweet on Wednesday, the Indian Navy's Naval Area Goa said, “Continuing efforts to assist the state administration in controlling the raging forest fires in Goa, #IndianNavy helicopters flew multiple missions on March 8 and sprayed approximately 17 tonnes of water on Cortalim. and Morlem.” Morlem is part of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary while Cortalim is where the fire was reported on Wednesday.

“The special Large Area Aerial Liquid Dispersion Equipment (LAALDE) used by the helicopter for this operation was mobilized by the Indian Navy from Mumbai and Kochi immediately after receiving information on March 6 from the state forest department. More than 26 runs were made over the affected areas. ” the Navy further tweeted. “The complex operation required drawing water from a nearby body of water and releasing it over the affected area in difficult terrain. Indian Navy helicopters have been conducting these operations since the early hours of March 7 in coordination with state authorities,” it added.

On Tuesday, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant chaired a meeting of the State Disaster Management Authority to oversee the situation, while Rane claimed the fire was "man-made" and warned of action under the Forest Act against those violating norms. His department has also initiated an inquiry against the forest guard to check whether there was any dereliction of duty on their part.