By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 27 May: The State Government and the state forest department, have asserted that as compared to the last year, the number of fires incident in the state forests have declined this year. Yet the state continues to grapple with the challenge of forest fires during the ongoing Char Dham Yatra season. This year, most of the forest fire incidents this year have been recorded in district Chamoli while, several other forest fires incidents have also been recorded around Char Dham routes. Despite continuous efforts by the Forest Department, rising temperatures and prolonged dry weather conditions continue to pose a serious threat to the state’s forests.
According to data released by the Uttarakhand Forest Department, 394 incidents of forest fire have been reported across the state between February 15 and May 25, affecting 331.12 hectares of forest land and resulting in one confirmed death. The Garhwal region has recorded the highest number of incidents, with 285 forest fires damaging 241.32 hectares of forest area, while the Kumaon region has witnessed 74 incidents affecting 64.05 hectares. In the wildlife region, 35 incidents have been reported, damaging 25.75 hectares of forest land.
District-wise figures showed Chamoli as the worst-affected district where 135 incidents of fires have been recorded and 67.79 hectares of forest land has been reported damaged. Tehri has recorded 45 incidents affecting 42.9 hectares, while Pauri has recorded 42 incidents resulting in damage of 58.5 hectares. Dehradun reported 36 incidents with 53.46 hectares affected, while Pithoragarh witnessed 37 incidents affecting 31.25 hectares. Incidents were also reported from Rudraprayag, Nainital, Almora, Champawat, Bageshwar, Uttarkashi, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar.
The forest fire season in Uttarakhand officially continues till June 15 till the pre-monsoon rains begin. With the weather forecasts indicating a further rise in temperatures and prolonged dry spells, the officials fear that incidents may increase in the coming weeks. Experts attribute the growing frequency of forest fires to climate change, rising global temperatures, prolonged drought conditions, irregular monsoon patterns and the impact of El Nino.
In some fire incidents, authorities also suspect deliberate attempts by miscreants to set forests ablaze, taking advantage of dry vegetation and strong winds that help flames spread rapidly. The fires have caused damage not only to forest wealth but also to wildlife, ecology and local livelihoods. In Chamoli, a woman reportedly lost her life after being trapped in a blaze near her cowshed in Bunga village, while another fatality involving a fire watcher had earlier been reported from Birhi during firefighting operations.
Speaking to Garhwal Post, Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal asserted that the reduction in forest fire incidents compared to previous years was the result of both departmental measures and increased public awareness. He said community participation has become the government’s biggest focus in controlling forest fires and reducing human-wildlife conflict. He added that more than 12 public-friendly policies have been introduced by the Forest Department over the past four years to improve livelihoods and encourage local communities to participate in forest conservation.
Uniyal said the ‘Sheetlakhet Mode’ has not been created by the government alone but evolved through active participation of local communities. He stressed that wherever people come forward to protect forests, incidents of forest fires decline significantly. He also acknowledged that response time in mountainous areas remain a major challenge, making community support essential for controlling fires quickly.
To tackle the forest fires, the forest department has deployed 5,625 fire watchers across the state along with regular forest personnel. Special emphasis has been laid on public participation, and Forest Fire Management Committees have been constituted in around 450 highly sensitive areas under the chairmanship of village heads. Each committee has been provided an incentive amount of Rs 30,000 to strengthen preparedness and local response.
For the first time, PCCF-rank officers have also been appointed as nodal officers in districts to improve monitoring and coordination. The government has enhanced the collective accidental insurance cover for fire watchers to Rs 10 lakhs per person. The officials said several new measures had been implemented over the past four to five years to strengthen forest fire management.
The Forest Department has also decided to use existing roads as fire lines across the state to help contain the spread of flames more effectively. Officials believe this strategy will not only improve firefighting operations but also reduce the need for tree felling required for creating separate fire lines. At present, Uttarakhand has a total fire line network of 13,085.03 kilometres.
