Forest destruction due to fires has become a serious problem in some regions in Sri Lanka, especially in areas like Beragala, Haputale of the Badulla District. Throughout the years fires continue to rage, with more land area burnt and destroyed each year. Yet, there is no methodical way to prevent them.
Sri Lanka experiences nearly 50 to 200 cases of forest fires every year. According to the Disaster Management Center, man-made forest fires have increased by one hundred per cent.
During investigations, we found that crucial forest fire management elements in Sri Lanka, such as coordination among Ministries, the contribution of the public, research and fire management are regrettably lacking in Sri Lanka.
Thus, there is a critical need to study the current situation of forest fire occurrences in the Sri Lankan context, along with examining the drawbacks with the procedure of forest fire controlling process in Sri Lankan context and effective solutions to address these man-made disasters.
