Embers in the air: On wildfires in the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu

Seasonal fires (मौसमी आग, मौसमी वनाग्नि) need long-term (दीर्घकालिक) management (प्रबंधन), not just preparedness (तैयारी, तत्परता)

The Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu and the adjoining (आस-पास का, सटा हुआ) forest divisions (प्रभाग, क्षेत्र) of Mudumalai, Coimbatore and Erode have been dealing with wildfires (जंगल की आग, वनाग्नि) that escalated (बढ़ना, तीव्र होना) to being a crisis (संकट) requiring the assistance (सहायता) of the Indian Air Force. Even so (फिर भी, इसके बावजूद), the intense fires are not anomalous (असामान्य, विचित्र), but an acute (तीव्र, गंभीर) manifestation (अभिव्यक्ति, प्रकट रूप) of a seasonal event. Parsons Valley (a specific valley in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu known for its reserved forests) and Pykara (a village and river area in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu) in the Nilgiris have been worst-hit (सबसे अधिक प्रभावित) while significant blazes were also reported from the Singara and Masinagudi ranges. One major blaze broke out in Wenlock Downs (a vast expanse of grassy knolls and rolling hills in the Nilgiris; rolling grasslands, highland pasture) and spread rapidly. February to May is fire season in this region, and in April, officials (a person holding public office or having official duties; officer, administrator, executive, bureaucrat) said that high heat (extreme or severely high temperature; extreme temperature, scorching heat, severe heat) and strong winds created a “conducive environment”; the wind, in particular (especially or specifically; specially, particularly, notably, explicitly), carried embers (a small piece of burning or glowing coal or wood in a dying fire; glowing coal, live coal) over pre-existing (existing from an earlier time; prior, existing, already present) firelines and partly explains why this season has been a breakout (a sudden eruption or occurrence of a fire; sudden spread, outbreak, flare-up, sudden eruption). Some fires also burnt hotter and for longer in Pykara because of the accumulated (gathered or collected over time; amassed, collected, gathered, piled up) biomass and invasive (tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully; intrusive, creeping, overrunning, fast-spreading) undergrowth (a dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in woodland; brush, underbrush, bushes, vegetation), and took longer to be doused (to extinguish a fire or light; extinguish, put out, quench, smother). The Nilgiris feature (to have as a prominent attribute or aspect; present, display, show, highlight) steep terrains (a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features; landscape, topography, ground, territory) and limited road access, slowing the movement of crew (a group of people working together, specifically firefighters or emergency personnel; team, squad, unit, task force) and equipment to particular spots. This said (despite what has just been said; that being said, nevertheless, nonetheless, even so), most fires also have a human hand (human involvement or intervention; human interference, manual involvement, anthropogenic factor). Tribespeople (people belonging to a tribe or indigenous group; indigenous people, tribal members, native inhabitants, aboriginals) gather wood in the area to make brooms — an activity closely monitored by officials — and herders (a person who looks after a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock; herdsman, shepherd, pastoralist) have also been known to burn dry grassland (a large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing; pasture, meadow, plain, prairie), forcing grasses to regrow and become fodder (food, especially dried hay or feed, for cattle and other livestock; feed, forage, provender, animal food). The latter together with discarded (thrown away or rejected; abandoned, dumped, disposed of, thrown out) smoking paraphernalia (miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity; equipment, gear, apparatus, accessories) are known accidental causes (unintentional factors, inadvertent triggers). This year, one blaze entered the Coimbatore division after Kerala forest staff began a controlled burn allegedly (supposedly, reportedly, reputedly, ostensibly) without coordinating this with Tamil Nadu. Some officials also expressed suspicion (a feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true; feeling, belief, intuition, hunch) that miscreants (a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law; wrongdoer, offender, criminal, culprit) deliberately (consciously and intentionally; intentionally, purposely, consciously, wittingly) set fires (to intentionally start a fire; ignite, light up, kindle, spark) in the Reserve (a protected area of importance for flora or fauna (referring to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve); protected forest, sanctuary, wildlife reserve, national park), allegedly over the Forest Department’s failure to address (tackle, deal with, confront, attend to) tiger-related deaths meaningfully (significantly, purposefully, constructively, substantially), but local communities are usually the first-responders (the first people (or local communities in this context) to arrive and assist at the scene of an emergency; emergency personnel, initial responders, rescue workers, front-liners) to these fires.

While none of these causes is new, their confluence (the junction or coming together of two or more things; convergence, coming together, junction, meeting) this year with the hot summer is likely (probable, expected, anticipated, plausible) to have stoked (to encourage or incite a strong emotion, or to add fuel to a fire; fuel, encourage, ignite, amplify) the intense fires. Indeed (undeniably, certainly, absolutely, in fact), climate variability (variations in the mean state and other statistics of the climate on all spatial and temporal scales; weather fluctuation, atmospheric variation, weather instability) — rather than (instead of; as opposed to, in place of) climate change alone — is also raising the baseline (a minimum or starting point used for comparisons; foundation, benchmark, starting point, standard) risk. Keeping other causes fixed, a hotter, drier summer automatically leads to fires that threaten the best-laid (well thought out or carefully planned; meticulously planned, well-prepared, carefully devised, thoughtfully designed) plans more. Even this year, authorities (officials, administration, government, management) had begun planning in March, setting up control rooms and firelines, ensuring animals’ access to water outside human-settled (areas inhabited by humans; populated, residential, inhabited, occupied) areas, clearing weeds (a wild plant growing where it is not wanted; invasive plant, unwanted vegetation, overgrowth), and mounting (to organize and initiate (a campaign or event); launch, organize, initiate, set up) awareness campaigns (an organized course of action to achieve a goal; drive, movement, initiative, push). However, many activities that add to the fire risk (the likelihood of a fire starting and the potential for it to cause harm or damage; fire hazard, combustion threat, flammability danger) remain tied (to attach, connect, or link; connect, link, associate, bind) to peoples’ livelihoods (a means of securing the necessities of life; income, living, employment, sustenance) and traditional practices, so they cannot be eliminated without suitable alternatives. Taken together (when considered as a whole; collectively, overall, jointly, as a group), managing the region’s seasonal fires is becoming less about what can be planned for in the short term (occurring over a short period; immediately, imminently, in the near future, temporarily) and more about what can be factored in over the long term (in the long run, eventually, permanently, sustainably).

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.worst-hit (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - सबसे अधिक प्रभावित
English Meaning - most severely affected by a disaster or problem; hardest-hit, most damaged, severely affected, worst-affected.

2.wildfire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जंगल की आग, वनाग्नि
English Meaning - a large, destructive fire that spreads quickly over woodland or brush; forest fire, brush fire, bushfire, uncontrolled fire.

3.seasonal fire (noun)

Hindi Meaning - मौसमी आग, मौसमी वनाग्नि
English Meaning - fires that are specific to and recur during a particular season of the year; periodic fire, recurring fire, seasonal blaze.

4.long-term (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - दीर्घकालिक
English Meaning - lasting, enduring, prolonged, extended.

5.management (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रबंधन
English Meaning - administration, handling, control, supervision.

6.preparedness (noun)

Hindi Meaning - तैयारी, तत्परता
English Meaning - a state of readiness, especially for a disaster or emergency; readiness, alertness, preparation, anticipation.

7.adjoining (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - आस-पास का, सटा हुआ
English Meaning - adjacent, bordering, neighboring, connecting.

8.division (noun)

Hindi Meaning - प्रभाग, क्षेत्र
English Meaning - an administrative or territorial district, especially in forestry; sector, zone, region, district.

9.escalate (verb)

Hindi Meaning - बढ़ना, तीव्र होना
English Meaning - to increase rapidly or become more intense or serious; intensify, heighten, magnify, worsen.

10.crisis (noun)

Hindi Meaning - संकट
English Meaning - emergency, disaster, catastrophe, emergency situation.

11.assistance (noun)

Hindi Meaning - सहायता
English Meaning - help, aid, support, backing.

12.even so (phrase)

Hindi Meaning - फिर भी, इसके बावजूद
English Meaning - in spite of that; nevertheless, nonetheless, however, still.

13.anomalous (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - असामान्य, विचित्र
English Meaning - deviating from what is standard, normal, or expected; abnormal, irregular, atypical, unusual.

14.acute (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - तीव्र, गंभीर
English Meaning - severe, intense, or sudden in effect; sharp, critical, drastic, severe.

15.manifestation (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभिव्यक्ति, प्रकट रूप
English Meaning - a sign or symptom of a situation or condition; expression, display, demonstration, indication.

16.official (noun)

English Meaning - a person holding public office or having official duties; officer, administrator, executive, bureaucrat.

17.Ember (noun)

English Meaning - a small piece of burning or glowing coal or wood in a dying fire; glowing coal, live coal.

18.Parsons Valley (proper noun)

English Meaning - a specific valley in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu known for its reserved forests.

19.Pykara (proper noun)

English Meaning - a village and river area in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.

20.blaze (noun)

English Meaning - a very large or fiercely burning fire; fire, inferno, conflagration, flames.

21.Singara (proper noun)

English Meaning - a forest range in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu.

22.Masinagudi (proper noun)

English Meaning - a town and forest range in the Nilgiris district, adjoining the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

23.range (noun)

English Meaning - a specific administrative area of a forest; forest sector, forest territory, forest zone.

24.break out (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to start suddenly (especially a fire, disease, or war); erupt, start, begin, flare up.

25.Wenlock Downs (proper noun)

English Meaning - a vast expanse of grassy knolls and rolling hills in the Nilgiris; rolling grasslands, highland pasture.

26.high heat (noun)

English Meaning - extreme or severely high temperature; extreme temperature, scorching heat, severe heat.

27.conducive (adjective)

English Meaning - favorable, beneficial, advantageous, helpful.

28.environment (noun)

English Meaning - the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates; surroundings, setting, habitat, conditions.

29.in particular (phrase)

English Meaning - especially or specifically; specially, particularly, notably, explicitly.

30.pre-existing (adjective)

English Meaning - existing from an earlier time; prior, existing, already present.

31.fireline (noun)

English Meaning - a gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a wildfire; firebreak, control line, fire barrier, containment line.

32.breakout (noun)

English Meaning - a sudden eruption or occurrence of a fire; sudden spread, outbreak, flare-up, sudden eruption.

33.accumulated (adjective)

English Meaning - gathered or collected over time; amassed, collected, gathered, piled up.

34.biomass (noun)

English Meaning - biological material from living or recently living organisms, acting as fuel for fires; organic matter, plant debris, combustible vegetation, biological material.

35.invasive (adjective)

English Meaning - tending to spread prolifically and undesirably or harmfully; intrusive, creeping, overrunning, fast-spreading.

36.undergrowth (noun)

English Meaning - a dense growth of shrubs and other plants, especially under trees in woodland; brush, underbrush, bushes, vegetation.

37.douse (verb)

English Meaning - to extinguish a fire or light; extinguish, put out, quench, smother.

38.feature (verb)

English Meaning - to have as a prominent attribute or aspect; present, display, show, highlight.

39.steep (adjective)

English Meaning - rising or falling sharply or almost perpendicular; sheer, abrupt, sharp, vertical.

40.terrain (noun)

English Meaning - a stretch of land, especially with regard to its physical features; landscape, topography, ground, territory.

41.crew (noun)

English Meaning - a group of people working together, specifically firefighters or emergency personnel; team, squad, unit, task force.

42.this said (phrase)

English Meaning - despite what has just been said; that being said, nevertheless, nonetheless, even so.

43.human hand (noun)

English Meaning - human involvement or intervention; human interference, manual involvement, anthropogenic factor.

44.tribespeople (noun)

English Meaning - people belonging to a tribe or indigenous group; indigenous people, tribal members, native inhabitants, aboriginals.

45.broom (noun)

English Meaning - a tool with bristles used for sweeping, often made by gathering local wood or grass; sweeper, brush, besom.

46.herder (noun)

English Meaning - a person who looks after a herd of livestock or makes a living from keeping livestock; herdsman, shepherd, pastoralist.

47.grassland (noun)

English Meaning - a large open area of country covered with grass, especially one used for grazing; pasture, meadow, plain, prairie.

48.fodder (noun)

English Meaning - food, especially dried hay or feed, for cattle and other livestock; feed, forage, provender, animal food.

49.discarded (adjective)

English Meaning - thrown away or rejected; abandoned, dumped, disposed of, thrown out.

50.paraphernalia (noun)

English Meaning - miscellaneous articles, especially the equipment needed for a particular activity; equipment, gear, apparatus, accessories.

51.smoking paraphernalia (noun)

English Meaning - smoking accessories, smoking tools, gear, or apparatus.

52.accidental causes (noun)

English Meaning - unintentional factors, inadvertent triggers.

53.allegedly (adverb)

English Meaning - supposedly, reportedly, reputedly, ostensibly.

54.suspicion (noun)

English Meaning - a feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true; feeling, belief, intuition, hunch.

55.miscreant (noun)

English Meaning - a person who behaves badly or in a way that breaks the law; wrongdoer, offender, criminal, culprit.

56.deliberately (adverb)

English Meaning - consciously and intentionally; intentionally, purposely, consciously, wittingly.

57.set fires (phrase)

English Meaning - to intentionally start a fire; ignite, light up, kindle, spark.

58.the Reserve (noun)

English Meaning - a protected area of importance for flora or fauna (referring to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve); protected forest, sanctuary, wildlife reserve, national park.

59.address (verb)

English Meaning - tackle, deal with, confront, attend to.

60.meaningfully (adverb)

English Meaning - significantly, purposefully, constructively, substantially.

61.first-responders (noun)

English Meaning - the first people (or local communities in this context) to arrive and assist at the scene of an emergency; emergency personnel, initial responders, rescue workers, front-liners.

62.confluence (noun)

English Meaning - the junction or coming together of two or more things; convergence, coming together, junction, meeting.

63.likely (adjective)

English Meaning - probable, expected, anticipated, plausible.

64.stoke (verb)

English Meaning - to encourage or incite a strong emotion, or to add fuel to a fire; fuel, encourage, ignite, amplify.

65.Indeed (adverb)

English Meaning - undeniably, certainly, absolutely, in fact.

66.climate variability (noun)

English Meaning - variations in the mean state and other statistics of the climate on all spatial and temporal scales; weather fluctuation, atmospheric variation, weather instability.

67.rather than (phrase)

English Meaning - instead of; as opposed to, in place of.

68.climate change (noun)

English Meaning - a long-term change in the earth’s climate, especially a change due to an increase in the average atmospheric temperature; global warming, environmental change, climatic shift.

69.baseline (noun)

English Meaning - a minimum or starting point used for comparisons; foundation, benchmark, starting point, standard.

70.lead to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to cause something to happen; result in, cause, bring about, produce.

71.best-laid (adjective)

English Meaning - well thought out or carefully planned; meticulously planned, well-prepared, carefully devised, thoughtfully designed.

72.authorities (noun)

English Meaning - officials, administration, government, management.

73.set up (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to establish or arrange; establish, create, organize, initiate.

74.human-settled (adjective)

English Meaning - areas inhabited by humans; populated, residential, inhabited, occupied.

75.weed (noun)

English Meaning - a wild plant growing where it is not wanted; invasive plant, unwanted vegetation, overgrowth.

76.mount (verb)

English Meaning - to organize and initiate (a campaign or event); launch, organize, initiate, set up.

77.awareness (noun)

English Meaning - knowledge or perception of a situation or fact; consciousness, understanding, recognition, comprehension.

78.campaign (noun)

English Meaning - an organized course of action to achieve a goal; drive, movement, initiative, push.

79.add to (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to increase the size, number, or amount of something; increase, augment, compound, exacerbate.

80.fire risk (noun)

English Meaning - the likelihood of a fire starting and the potential for it to cause harm or damage; fire hazard, combustion threat, flammability danger.

81.tie (verb)

English Meaning - to attach, connect, or link; connect, link, associate, bind.

82.livelihood (noun)

English Meaning - a means of securing the necessities of life; income, living, employment, sustenance.

83.taken together (phrase)

English Meaning - when considered as a whole; collectively, overall, jointly, as a group.

84.in the short term (phrase)

English Meaning - occurring over a short period; immediately, imminently, in the near future, temporarily.

85.factor in (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - to include something as a relevant element when making a decision; consider, include, take into account, incorporate.

86.over the long term (phrase)

English Meaning - in the long run, eventually, permanently, sustainably.