
<p>Recently
Uttarakhand witnessed substantial wildfire which took more than 900 hectares of
forest. ; Fire incidents were reported
from all 13 Uttarakhand districts, and worst which were affected were Almora
and Nainital. In both these districts, the forest are entirely covered with oak
and pine trees which are considered as highly inflammable and cover about 16
percent of state’s forest cover. Yesterday afternoon, the fire spread till well
known Corbett National Park too</p>



<p>Mamta Chand,
range officer of Nanital forest division, said, however, rainfall and hailstorm
following the fire brought some relief and also has mitigated the forest to
some extent. Also, two large active forest fires also reported in Tehri Garhwal
as well as Pauri Garhwal districts. Sadly since 9th May, the number of forest
fire alerts reported is 2460 recorded by SNPP, i.e. Suomi National
Polar-Orbiting Partnership Satellite and MODIS, i.e. Moderate Resolution
Imaging Spectro-Radiometer recorded 231. ;
As compared to MODIS, SNPP is much more capable of mapping small fires
and can attain better accuracy. </p>



<p>Conservator of
Forest (Western Circle) of Kumaon division, Parag M Dhakate, supposed ‘with the
assistance of satellites we can now find out the pinpoint location. Previously
it was not too easy, but with new technology, we can effortlessly reach the
exact location fast.’</p>



<p>These recent
fires have caused innumerable damage as well as devastating acres of green
cover in the hilly terrains. People who are living in nearby villages which are
close to forest light fires so that with first rains new patches of nutritious
grasses appear. ; The leading causes of
fire spreading were dry weather, high temperatures, as well as lack of rainfall,
owing to these it makes difficult for authorities to contain them. </p>



<p>Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests (HoFF), Jai Raj said ‘the current situation is under
control, and the fire was due to anthropogenic reasons and because of
negligence. At times people use to throw lit cigarettes unintentionally, also
people living nearby forest burn their waste, which causes a fire. The fire
department, forest department, SDRF and police all working to mitigate the
fire. We are also witnessing that locals are assisting the department too.’ </p>



<p>Wildlife
reserves all across Uttarakhand also been affected by the fire. Yesterday
afternoon, the fire spread till well known Corbett National Park too. With
this, the Manda and Bijrani ranges of the park also lost a massive green cover.
Field Director at Rajaji Tiger Reserve, Prasana Kumar Patro, alleged ‘the
Haridwar range specifically Chandi and Mansa Devi area both which come under
the Rajaji Tiger Reserve are most affected. As per reports about 32 hectares of
forest have been affected, however, the situation is under control now.’</p>



<p>Uttarakhand
loses a large part of its forest cover every year due to fire, and it is mostly
during this time only. As per RTI, it was also revealed that more than 44000
hectares of forest which are equal to 61000 football fields have been damaged
and totally destroyed since the formation of the state, i.e. in 2000. In this
recent fire, the forest department faced the loss of over 17 lakh. This is the
extent of loss, which can be calculated. But the rest loss due to pollution
levels, air quality. Damages of rivers as well as glaciers, a number of birds
and insects have not been calculated.</p>

