Uttarakhand forest fires mostly ‘man-made’; ex-CM says ‘can’t be controlled without…’ | 10 points

Despite bringing under control the blaze in several areas, the firefighting operation in Uttarakhand forests continued for the second consecutive day on Sunday. The situation remained dire in the hill state with eight fresh blazes erupting in the last 24 hours, prompting an extensive firefighting operation aided by an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter. The Kumaon region, particularly Nainital district, emerged as a hotspot for forest fires, with blazes raging at two to three places in Nainital district and at one place each in Champawat, Almora, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar.

Here are the latest updates on Uttarakhand forest fires:

1. The eight new fires that erupted on Saturday evening burned 11.75 hectares, a decrease from the previous day’s 23 fires consuming 34.175 hectares. Since November 2023, 606 fires have ravaged 735.815 hectares of forest land.
2. The forest fires in Nainital and Pauri Garhwal in Uttarakhand were mostly man-made, reported The Indian Express quoting the state forest department.
3. Three persons were arrested in Rudraprayag district for setting fire in the forest, the forest department shared on X.
4. Five persons were held in Garwah forest division for trying to ignite fire in Reserved forest areas of Khirsu. They were booked under the relevant sections of the Indian Forest Act.
5. The officials also reported that some people negligently set their farmlands on fire, which in turn spread to the nearby forest areas.
6. Forest officials are urging people to refrain from such actions and to report any incidents of forest fires immediately. They have warned that legal action will be taken against those found responsible for igniting fires in forest areas under the Indian Forest Act, 1927.
7. A signature campaign for public awareness to save forests from fire in the rural areas of Dharchula development block was launched on Sunday.
8. However, Kumaon’s Chief Conservator of Forest Prasanna Kumar Patro attributed the recent spike in forest fire incidents in Kumaon to increased dryness due to heat wave in the lower areas of Champawat and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand bordering Nepal, reported PTI.
9. Former Uttarakhand CM and Congress leader Harish Rawat said that forest fires cannot be controlled without increasing the humidity in the forest areas. He said in 2015-16 they had come up with a comprehensive plan for the same.
10. Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government has asked for help from all the institutions including the Indian Army. “The locals are also being asked to cooperate towards dousing the fire…The responsibility of the officers found responsible in this will also be fixed,” he told ANI.

HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!

• ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  

  Follow the latest breaking news and developments from India and around the world with Hindustan Times’ newsdesk. From politics and policies to the economy and the environment, from local issues to national events and global affairs, we’ve got you covered.