Massive Wildfires in Uttarakhand Almora Nainital

Massive Wildfires in Uttarakhand Almora Nainital

Massive Wildfires in Uttarakhand Almora Nainital According to a report in The Times of India, the jungles of Almora and Nainital in Uttarakhand have been affected by massive forest fires. Bhimtal, Sattal and Devidhura areas in Nainital district were affected the most. Dehradun itself has seen 32 cases of forest fires in the last eleven days. According to IANS, data provided by the Forest Department shows nearly 1,000 hectare of forests in the state have been affected this season by forest fire.

In all, Uttarakhand has seen 595 cases of wildfires till May 12. Tehri Garhwal (70), Champawat (60) and Pauri Garhwal (68) were some of the places with the most recorded incidents. In Almora district, about 189.25 hectares of forest land have been destroyed in 76 incidents, whereas Nainital has seen 170 wildfire incidents ruining 168.28 hectares of land.

Some environmentalists are of the opinion that most of these forest fires are man-made. The TOI report quotes Vishal Singh, the executive director of Dehradun’s CEDAR, who said that villagers and forest officials set the agricultural residue on fire. These fires sometimes get out of hand, causing damage to nearby forests. Some locals say that miscreants have been putting jungles on fire. Locals said they saw two men with torches lighting the forest on fire. Other locals said that it’s a combination of revellers and a lack of moisture in the forest causing fire.

According to Jai Raj, principal chief conservator of forest and head of forest force, Uttarakhand, one person in Kumaon division has been booked for an attempt to start fires. Forest officials say that they are on a high alert statewide to prevent any such act.

Article & Images Credit : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com