Uttarakhand battles forest fires, IAF joins dousing operation

In Uttarakhand, at least  40 active fires are currently ravaging the forests. As per the state government, the fire has affected forests across the Garhwal and Kumaon regions with Nainital, Almora, Tehri and Pauri districts being the worst-hit.According to reports, the fire has so far destroyed property worth Rs 37 lakh and claimed the lives of at least seven animals.Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on Sunday held a high-level emergency meeting to discuss ways to control the fire as soon as possible. He also requested the Centre to send help. Union home ministry dispatched two Indian Air Force helicopters that have been deployed in the firefighting operations. To tame the raging fire, the Uttarakhand government has deployed 12,000 forest department personnel. The state has also set up 1300 fire stations to top forest fires. 

Fierce fires have been reported in the Bageshwar range, Gankhet range, Kapkot range and Dharamghar range. In Rudraprayag, forest fire has been reported from Kedarghati as well. In some areas, the fire has also reached the villages adjoining the forests. Usually, the forest fires in Uttarakhand begin in mid-February and last till the onset of monsoon in mid-June. Forests catch fires as there is plenty of dry leaves on the ground and temperature starts rising. Any spark anywhere can lead to a major fire. Since January this year, there have been 983 incidents of forest fire in the state affecting 1,292 hectares of land, compared to 172 hectare damaged in 2020 in over 170 incidents of fire.In March alone, the state registered 278 cases of forest fire.