Comments
Basic infrastructure, awareness about the topography of the hills and emergency drills are a must when you plan a trek.
These measures can help avoid accidents like the Theni fire tragedy, say locals and frequent trekkers.
Kurangani hills
According to Saravana Kumar, who runs a homoeopathy clinic in Theni and a frequent trekker, forest fires are common in summer months, especially in Kurangani hills where the tragedy happened. “This year too forest fire was visible and locals have been complaining about it for the past five days,” he added. Kumar explained that Kurangani is the highest hill in the region, dotted with tea plantations. Due to its altitude, wild grass that are taller than humans grow in the area. Since the grass is dry and exposed to sunlight they catch fire easily and the fire spreads rapidly.
“All the locals and experienced trekkers are aware of this. So we generally avoid trekking in the area in summer,” said Kumar, who has been organising trekking expeditions for the past 12 years.
Eco-tourism spot
Kurangani Hills is promoted as an eco-tourism spot by the State government. However, trekkers say there is nothing much available in terms of basic infrastructure. S Saravanan, a media professional and trekker, said that unlike the West, where there is a set of guidelines for trekking that includes local guidance, there are no regulations in India.
“When you declare a place as eco-tourism spot, you need to have basic infrastructure facilities such as certified guides, maps with the topography and contact numbers for emergency,” he added.
Trekkers should be aware of what they need to do in case of emergency. For instance, in case of fire, you are supposed to cover your eyes and face with wet cloth to avoid inhaling fumes. There should at least be one expert in a group who can read maps, which will have areas marked for emergency escape.
However, trekkers dismiss the idea that people went in without permission. Kumar said: “Till three years ago there was no restriction but that is not so in recent times after it was announced as an eco-tourism spot.” However, he said it was unclear whether the victims strayed away from the path designated by the forest officials and wandered deeper into the forests.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.