Uttarakhand forest fire: As the wildfires rage on in various forest areas of Uttarakhand, the relentless blaze has claimed another life of an elderly woman, bringing the death count to five thus far. As per the officials, on Sunday, a 65-year-old woman passed away at AIIMS Rishikesh, where she was hospitalised after sustaining burn injuries while attempting to extinguish a forest fire that had encroached upon her farm in a village in Pauri tehsil.
At Thapli village on Saturday, Savitri Devi observed a forest fire approaching her farm. According to the District Disaster Management Center, she went to gather grass bundles stored there but was trapped in the flames. Subsequently, she was transferred to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment, where she succumbed to her injuries in the early hours of Sunday.
Rain likely from May 7
Bikram Singh, Director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, mentioned the possibility of rain in the state from May 7-8, with increased intensity expected from May 11 onwards. This may help extinguish the forest fires, he said.
Singh said that the rain will start in the Kumaon region from May 7 and in the Garhwal region from May 8.
Forest department latest bulletin
According to the daily bulletin issued by the forest department, in the past 24 hours, the state witnessed 24 incidents of forest fires, resulting in damage to approximately 23.75 hectares of forest land.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami instructed Chief Secretary Radha Raturi to provide all district magistrates with a week's advance notice and to issue directives for the regular monitoring of forest fires.
CM Dhami further directed all district magistrates to enforce an immediate and complete ban on the burning of all types of fodder for a week. Additionally, urban authorities have been instructed to prohibit the burning of solid waste within or in close proximity to forests.
Earlier on Saturday, he asked the officials to establish coordination among themselves and create a mechanism by which the forest fires could be controlled as soon as possible. While appealing to Uttarakhand residents for their cooperation, the chief minister said, “Forest wealth is our heritage which we have to protect at all costs.”
Dhami stressed the need for advance preparations to deal with forest fire incidents in the state, noting that the responsibilities of all the senior officers from the headquarters should be fixed, as should the district officers and there should be complete control over it.
Amid incidents of forest fire reported in the state, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami convened a review meeting at Uttarakhand Sadan, New Delhi, on May 4. The meeting focused on strategies to tackle forest fires, address the drinking water crisis, and ensure smooth preparations for the Chardham Yatra. The state has recently witnessed an alarming increase in forest fires, prompting concerns about environmental safety and the impact on local communities.
910 forest fire incidents since November 2023
As per reports, forest fires have become an annual feature and the change in weather conditions has resulted in soaring temperatures. Uttarakhand starts experiencing forest fires in mid-February when the trees shed dry leaves and the soil loses moisture due to a temperature rise, and this continues till mid-June.
Since November 1 last year, there have been a total of 910 forest fire incidents in the state, leading to approximately 1145 hectares of forest land being impacted.
Three people arrested
The Uttarakhand Police on Saturday (May 4) arrested three people from Bihar for allegedly promoting forest fires in the state, officials said. According to the police, a video came to light after it went viral on social media platforms wherein the three youths were promoting forest fires.
In the purported video, a youth can be heard saying, "Nobody challenges those who play with fire and Biharis are never challenged." The accused have been identified as Brijesh Kumar, Salman and Shukhlal, all three residents of Bihar.
"They were booked under section 26 of the Indian Forest Act of 1927 and several other sections of the Indian Penal Code," the officials added.
According to forest department officials, a case has been registered against four people -- Piyush Singh, Ayush Singh, Rahul Singh and Ankit -- under the Indian Forest Act for setting fire in Gangolihat forest range of Pithoragarh district.
(With PTI inputs)
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