Forest fires in Uttarakhand leave five dead, burning of crop residues in the fields banned

In view of the increasing incidents of forest fires, the Uttarakhand government has banned the burning of crop residues in the fields. Urban bodies will also not be able to burn their solid waste in forests or near forests. 

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Sunday asked the Chief Secretary to immediately issue instructions to all the District Magistrates for continuous monitoring of forest fires every day for a week. The Chief Minister has issued a complete ban on the burning of all types of crop residues for a week with immediate effect to the District Magistrates. Instructions have been given to impose restrictions. Along with this, urban bodies have also been asked to stop burning their solid waste in forests or near forests. 

Elderly woman dies due to burning in fire 

An elderly woman died at AIIMS Rishikesh on Sunday after being caught in a forest fire. 65-year-old Savitri Devi, resident of Thapli village of Pauri tehsil, got badly burnt while trying to save a bale of hay from the fire. He was admitted to AIIMS Rishikesh for treatment, where he died on Sunday. 

Forest fire reached at Dunagiri temple 

The forest fire in Almora reached Dunagiri temple. This created panic among the devotees who started running here and there to save their lives. The forest department team with the help of local people and PRD jawans controlled the fire due to which there was no loss of life. 

910 incidents of forest fire, 1145 hectares affected 

According to the bulletin issued by the Forest Department at 4 pm on Sunday, 24 incidents of forest fire were reported in the state in the last 24 hours, affecting 23.75 hectares of forest. Since November 1 last year, there have been 910 incidents of forest fire in Uttarakhand, which have affected about 1145 hectares of area. Of these, a maximum of 482 incidents occurred in the Kumaon region and 355 incidents occurred in the Garhwal region. There have been 73 incidents of fire in the wildlife area and according to the government bulletin, no animal was harmed.   

351 case registered, three youths arrested 

So far, 351 cases have been registered in Uttarakhand for setting fire in forests. 61 people have been named in this, while 290 cases have been registered against unknown people. Some youth had shared a video on their Instagram regarding setting fire in the forest. 

During the investigation, the video was found to be of Gairsain Mehalchauri of Chamoli district. In this case, the police have arrested three youths belonging to Bihar, Brajesh Kumar, Salman and Sukhlal. A case has been registered against four people Piyush Singh, Ayush Singh, Rahul Singh and Ankit for setting fire in the forest in Gangolihat range of Pithoragarh. Strict action is being taken by the police and forest department in cases of forest fire by unruly elements. 

Why do forest fires occur? 

There is a severe fire in the forests of Uttarakhand every year between February and June. Dry leaves catch fire quickly in hot air. Many times, fires occur due to the carelessness of tourists, while at times, local people also set fire to forests to grow new grass, hide illegal cutting of trees, illegal hunting, etc. 

In the forests of Uttarakhand, most of the fires occur due to pine trees because dry leaves i.e. Pirul catch fire quickly. Incidents of forest fires are also increasing due to the increase in temperature in mountainous areas due to climate change. The lack of comprehensive planning and concrete measures to prevent forest fires is visible in the form of massive fires every year.  

Chance of rain by 7-8 May 

Bikram Singh, director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, said that there is a possibility of rain in the state by May 7-8, which will intensify from May 11. This can help in extinguishing forest fires. Rain will start in the Kumaon region from May 7 and in the Garhwal region from May 8.