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Aravindan

Fire breakouts have mauled rubber plantations in many places as the temperature soared over 32 degree Celsius in the past one month. These accidents obviously occurred in places where no fire belt was created. Generally, borders and footpaths in rubber plantations are kept free of dry leaves and dry grass in summer.

KOTTAYAM, March 20

SUMMER is an inhospitable season for rubber plantations. It brings in fire hazard and crop reduction. Crop reduction may result in better market for rubber, but the experience in the past four years has been different.

In the past four summers, rubber price did not move up as in the previous period, may be owing to accumulated stock and sluggish market. Hence crop reduction has not helped market to improve to a fair level.

There have been many outbreaks of fire in rubber plantations this summer. The rubber tree is deciduous. It sheds almost all its leaves during December-January to give way for new flushes to emerge in February. The shed leaves can wreak havoc if allowed to dry up at the foot of the trees in the summer heat.

Already there have been many fire hazards involving destruction of rubber plantations in Kottayam, one of the three hottest regions in the State. The other two are Palakkad and Punalur. Temperature has ranged so far in these districts from 37 to 42 degree Celsius. It may go up further in the next two months as the summer heat reaches its peak.

Fire breakouts have mauled rubber plantations in many places as the temperature soared over 32 degree Celsius in the past one month. At Vadavathoor near Kottayam town, fire consumed great part of the rubber trees in about eight hectares of plantation as the dry leaves near the footpath caught fire and spread quickly to other parts.

One fire-fighting agency has noted that a carelessly thrown cigarette stub had ignited the leaves and winds caused it to spread. In another incident, one heactare portion of a rubber plantation in Kadamapuzha near Kanjirappally was completely destroyed in accidental fire. This did not spread to the remaining portion of the plantation as the rocky patch in between prevented the fire from spreading. Hardly any rescue work was possible since the plantation is situated in a remote area.

Outbreak of fire in three rubber plantations in Vallikattu, near Ettumanoor in a week's time has also resulted in loss of thousands of trees. Here too, the fire force's timely help was instrumental to put out the fire and prevent it from spreading.

The fire in a large estate, Travancore Rubber & Tea Company in Mundakayam, was the gravest of this season in the rubber belt. The flames rose to the height of over 30 feet in the scorching sun aided by strong winds. Over a hundred local people rushed to the spot and helped the estate workers in rescue operations.

These accidents obviously occurred in places where no fire belt was created. Generally, borders and footpaths in rubber plantations are kept free of dry leaves and dry grass in summer. These are swept off in three-metre width along the plantation borders and along the footpaths and heaped together in a safe place and burnt, just after the trees shed their leaves during the winter.

This operation helps prevent spread of any accidental fire from neighbouring locations or from carelessly thrown sticks or smoked stubs. Maintenance of the fire belt every year prevents fire hazards in plantations.

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