Knuckles Range ravaged by man-made disaster

By Dhamesh Yatawara

Strong winds and dry weather made the fire spread faster. Officers of the Forest Conservation Department did their best to douse the fire at the Laggala mountain range with the assistance from the Bell 212s of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

The mana grasslands of the Knuckles Mountain Range in Laggala caught fire destroying a large strip of the forest reserve. Officers of the Forest Conservation Department and the airmen of the Bell 212s battled for several hours to save the forest and the villages in the vicinity from the destructive flames. Officers managed to save the Wilgamuwa village in Moragahaulpotha.

Surely the mana will grow in few months yet the damage to the eco-system cannot be estimated, according to H.M.T. Hitisekara the Forest Conservation General of the Department of Forest Conservation.

Forest fires due to illegal human activities. The climatic condition in Sri Lanka do not cause forest fires,” Hitisekara said.

Covering over 17,000 hectares in the Matale and the Kandy districts the Knuckles Mountain range also known as the Dumbara hills is popular, in the local and international arena. Bordering the South and East by the Mahaweli river basin, and on the West by the Matale plains the kanduwetiya is separated from the rest of the Central Hills as a unique ecosystem.

World Heritage Site

Knuckles is also designated as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. The World Heritage Committee of UNESCO declared the Central Highlands of Sri Lanka as a World Heritage Site. The site comprises the Adam’s Peak (Siripada) Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are forests where the elevation reaches 2,500 metres above sea level.

The Siripada and Dumbara hills are mixed cultural and natural sites. It has been observed that slash and burn cultivation, man-induced fires to hunt and illegal activities have caused destruction to forests especially in the buffer zone of the Knuckles. Several vegetation can be identified in Knuckles mountain range namely semi evergreen forests, sub montane forests, montane forests, patana and savanna grasslands and riverine forests. The fire broke out in the Savanna grasslands in the Laggala area.

It is difficult to douse fire in a grassland with mana which are over six feet in heigh, Hitisekara said elaboration the dangers and risks of the mission. Approaching the fire before it spreads is a major challenge to the forest conservation officers. Since the knuckles is recumbent the road to rescue is cumbersome. Fire spreads in all directions on grassland.

A single spark will ignite hay. Someone trying to douse the fire could get trapped and rescuing him would be a huge task”, he added.

This is where the assistance of the Sri Lanka Air Force is crucial. Unlike fire in a thick canopy firefighting helicopters can drop approximately 1000 litres of water at once over the flames using the bumbi bucket.

The Air Force headquarters alerted the No.7 helicopter squadron at Hingurakgoda to airlift two Bell 212s. Commanding Officer of the squadron Wing Commander Wasantha Jayawardane gave the order to pilot Squadron Leader Chamila Hiripitiya to be ready for the mission.

“The location given to us was 32 nautical miles from our base at Hingurakgoda 190 degrees south of Minneriya and was close to Wilgamuwa,” said Sq.Ldr. Hiripitiya. “With the co-pilot Flight Lieutenant Duminda Marasinghe, Sq. Ldr. Hiripitiya airlifted a Bell 212 around 3 p.m. Though two were available the other helicopter was detected with a default in the bumbi bucket. The Bumbi bucket is handled by the air gunmen in the helicopter,” Hiripitiya explained.

For pilots manoeuvring the helicopters in the mountains was a major challenge. “Due to the geography of the area the winds are strong and varies and we have to change accordingly by”, he added.

Scarcity of water

The scarcity of water was a major issue. Many tanks had run dry”, he said. The pilots succeeded in dousing the flames with water from a reservoir.

Sq. Ldr. Hiripitiya and Fl. Lt. Marasinghe had a huge task upon them due to the default in the Bell 212.

The Bell 212 returned to the Hingurakgoda base at 5 p.m and a second helicopter was dispatched to continue the battle. The second mission was carried out by Squadron Leader Banuka Delgahagoda and Flying Officer Thilina Gardiarachchi.

With the fire at Laggala brought under control by the Forest Conservation Department and Bell 212 squadron, no one was able to rest for a long time.

Another fire broke out in the Reversten area which is also in the Matale district along the Knuckles Mountain Range. According to Forest Conservation General Hitisekara it had not lasted so long but the damage is again to the same unique ecosystem. These fires are not natural and can be easily prevented if people are concerned about the reserve. We need the help of people to protect forests”, he said.