Forest fires continue to rage in Uttarakhand; Nainital woods burning, Almora loses 189 hectares of jungle

Dehradun: There has been no respite from wildfires in Uttarakhand. Massive forest fires have been reported from Almora and Nainital districts as temperature soars with the rise in mercury.  As forest fires raged in inflammable pine jungles of Bhimtal, Sattal and Devidhura areas, it has left  environmentalist worried.

According to a report in Times of India, at least 32 cases of wildfires have been reported from Uttarakhand state capital Dehradun in the last eleven days. The report states that at least  189.25 hectares of forest area was gutted in Almora by 76 fire incidents. At the same time, 168.28 hectares of forests were reduced to ashes in Nainital in 170 cases of wildfire incidents.

Till May 12, Uttarakhand has witnessed around 595 cases of wildfire, including 70 fire incidents in Tehri Garhwal, Champawat 60, Pauri Garhwal 68, Dehradun 34. Forest officials say the deficient rains and increase in temperatures are to blame for rising incidents of wildfires.  At least six people have died and four others are injured in fire incidents till May 8.

Meanwhile, the environmentalists in the state have blamed the humans for the wildfire incidents.

“Wildfires in the Western Himalayan region are almost entirely man-made. Villagers and forest officials set land on fire to burn agricultural residue and for controlled burning of pine needles to encourage grass and fodder growth. The real problem arrives when such fires get out of hand,” the report quoted Vishal Singh, executive director, Dehradun-based Centre for Ecology Development and Research.

Since Uttarakhand was carved out of Uttar Pradesh in 2000, the state has witnessed 500 percent rise in forest fire cases. The total forest area destroyed by wildfires in the last 19 years stood at over 44.518 hectares, while over Rs 1.85 cr of economic loss was reported during the same period.