Ooty: Fumes emanating from the underground and trees being gutted in the jungles in Neethimund near here, has scared residents in nearby villages, as ecologists attribute it to a rare case of possible methane emission from deep below the soil surface.
While emission of fumes was reported in April, it has begun again now in Athikkal village which is at the foothills of the Neethimund slopes. V. Arun, resident of Ath-ikkal village said, “more than the fumes and smoke, it is the charring of trees and other vegetation that is unusual. Villagers want government to do the needful to allay the fear of people in this regard.”
S.Jayachandran, joint secretary of the Tamil Nadu Green Movement said that there was nothing to worry, as it was possibly due to the combustion of methane gas trapped inside the soil there.
“When the fumes come into contact with atmospheric oxygen, it generates some heat and some fire that chars the vegetation. It is a natural process. The Forest department should arrange for investigation by expert s to find out the exact reason and give an explanation to residents,” S.Jayachandran suggesed.
