IAF to cut down trees near air bases to reduce crashes

In the last week of July, a MiG-21 fighter jet crashed at the Delhi airport killing the pilot, Flying Officer Shreya Shukla. The crash was blamed on a bird hit. Till now it appeared as if the IAF was fighting a losing battle. In fact it has lost an air base due to bird menace. And close to Delhi.

The Hindan air base on Delhi’s outskirts in Ghaziabad had to be shut down because of the bird menace. The base was the home to two fighter jet squadrons. “Three MiG aircraft crashed in quick succession in 1995-96 and bird hit was the cause of all crashes. There was thick vegetation around and coupled with illegal abattoirs in the vicinity the birds began roosting there itself. So the 50 odd fighter jets were removed from the air base to prevent more accidents,” an official said.

During a visit to the 35 squadron at Bareilly, the base of a MiG-21 squadron and the Canberra photo reconnaissance (bombers) aircraft, the air chief spoke at length about the “peculiarity of Indian skies” and the problems of flying in the Indian sub-continent.

“ Chullah (earthen stove) is a part of every village home. Air bases are outside the city close to villages and in winters each home lights a chullah . The smoke hangs heavy and visibility drops for the pilots. They also burn fields at the turn of the season increasing the smoke level,” he said.

“The late Dr Salim Ali and the Bombay Natural History Society conducted a study for us and following the bird roosting pattern, he recommended the removal of trees around air bases,” he said. The IAF began growing trees around air bases after the 1965 war for camouflage. “But it does not work that way anymore. We are also cutting the grass and undergrowth around bases,” the air chief said.

The IAF began removing the entire undergrowth but rodents and predators living in the undergrowth began entering stores and damaging wares. “Therefore another decision has been taken to keep the length of the grass in and around air bases to 12 inches,” an official said.

The exercise is a part of IAF’s overall effort to bring down the crashes to an “acceptable level” and is also a part of the recommendations made by the A.P.J. Abdul Kalam committee on flight safety.

The IAF is quick to point out that the trees are not being chopped off indiscriminately. “The trees are being cut following meetings and consultation with the District Forest Officer (DFO). In fact that is why the process is slightly slow,” said an official at air headquarters.