As the unabated forest fires in Uttarakhand's Nainital district threatened to encroach upon the High Court Colony in the Pines area, Indian Army and Air Force were pressed into service on Saturday to aid in firefighting efforts, necessitating urgent intervention.
According to the reports, an MI-17 helicopter equipped with a Bambi Bucket collected water from Bhimtal lake and conducted water drops over the burning forests across various areas of the district, including Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh, and Mukteshwar.
However, the challenges faced by authorities extend beyond Nainital, as Uttarakhand reported a total of nine forest fire incidents from across the districts on Saturday alone, resulting in a significant damage to forested areas. Nationally, the situation remains concerning, with 140 fire cases reported in a single day, with Chhattisgarh alone accounting for at least 41 incidents.
This widespread outbreak underscores the urgent need for coordinated efforts to contain and manage the fires.
In response to the crisis, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami reassured the public that all possible measures are being taken to bring the fires under control.
Additionally, three individuals have been arrested in Rudraprayag for attempting to ignite further fires, emphasizing the seriousness with which authorities are addressing the issue.
The insights provided by the senior Indian Forest Service (IFS) official in New Delhi shed light on the predominant role of human activities in triggering forest fires.
According to the official, natural causes for forest fires are relatively rare, with most incidents being man-made.
"These human-induced fires often stem from various factors, including villagers resorting to fire out of resentment towards forest officials, or individuals carelessly discarding lit bidi (cigarettes) amidst dried leaves during the dry summer season.
Moreover, the official highlighted the proactive role of the Forest Survey of India (FSI) in detecting and monitoring forest fire incidents.
He shared that the Dehradun based Forest Survey of India (FSI) has been alerting State Forest Departments towards forest fire incidences detected by MODIS sensor on-board Aqua and Terra Satellite of NASA and SNPP- VIIRS sensor, at least six times in 24 hours.
The fire hotspots detected are received at Shadnagar Earth Station (National Remote Sensing Centre) and processed using standard algorithms. The entire process has been made completely automated which has effectively reduced the dissemination time lag.
Another official from the FSI said that severe fires occur in many forest types particularly dry deciduous forest, while evergreen, semi-evergreen and montane temperate forests are comparatively less prone.
Also, more than 36 per cent of the country's forest cover has been estimated to be prone to frequent forest fires while nearly four per cent is extremely prone to fire. Around six per cent of forest cover is found to be very highly fire prone.
"Based on the forest inventory records, 54.40 per cent of forests in India are exposed to occasional fires, 7.49 per cent to moderately frequent fires and 2.40 per cent to high incidence levels while 35.71 per cent of India's forests have not yet been exposed to fires of any real significance," said the official.
In Uttarakhand, to contain the fire in Nainital, the district administration has implemented precautionary measures, including a ban on boating in Naini lake. Additionally, forest authorities have deployed manpower, with 40 Manora Range personnel and two forest rangers dedicated to extinguishing the flames.
In the last 24 hours, 31 new incidents of forest fire were reported from various parts of the State, destroying 33.34 hectares of forest land. The alarming frequency of forest fires underscores the broader challenge faced by Uttarakhand, with 575 incidents reported since November 1 last year, affecting nearly 690 hectares of forest land and incurring significant economic costs exceeding Rs 14 lakh. Such figures highlight the pressing need for sustained efforts to mitigate the impact of forest fires and safeguard the region's ecological balance and communities.
According to the daily bulletin issued by the Forest Department here from November 1 last year till now, a total of 575 incidents of forest fire have been reported in the state, affecting 689.89 hectares of forest area and costing the state more than Rs 14 lakh.
