The DMC said it was impossible to arrest the culprits as there was no way to find out who they were.

DMC Deputy Director Sarath Lal Kumara said forest fires hadbeenreported from the Monaragala, Badulla, Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy and Matale districts during the past two weeks. “The forests have been set on fire for several reasons such as poaching, the felling of trees and in some cases to allow for chena cultivation,” he said.

Mr. Kumara said burning of forests would lead to more ecological problems as these areas had abundant water resources providing watertomanyof thenearby streams and rivers.

“We have no way of catching these people as these fires have been set inside vast forest areas far away from human habitation,” he said and pointed out that though human lives had not been lost because of these fires, vast areas of protected forests and wildlife had been destroyed.

Source: Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka