By – Prakarsh Kastwar
As the heat improves, the fire in Kumaon’s forests has spread out of control. An Air Force chopper was sent in to extinguish the fire in Nainital’s forests. The fire in Pines had spread to the High Court’s residential complex, which has since been controlled.
225 forest fires occurred in the recent week, resulting in the loss of 288 hectares of forest wealth. In Bageshwar, a forest fire damaged the mine office of Kafligair Magnesite Factory, destroying 12 rooms, machines, and even computers. According to forest officials, the Nainital and Champawat districts of Kumaon remain very sensitive to forest fires.
In the span of 24 hours, forest fires broke out in 23 different locations around the state. Forest fires have broken out in 16 different locations across Kumaon. In 24 hours, around 35 hectares of woodland were destroyed by forest fires across the state.
The situation got so bad to the point that an Air Force chopper was dispatched to suppress a forest fire in Nainital district. The chopper collected water from Bhimtal Lake and dumped it on the forest fire areas of Uttarakhand and its surroundings.
The army also operates in these locations. A total of 10 helicopters filled Bhimtal Lake with water to fight a massive forest fire. The forest fire approached the High Court’s residential complex in Nainital. In response to the increasing number of forest fires, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met with Kumaon officials in the Forest Training Academy auditorium.
This included instructions to prohibit forest officers and personnel from taking leave until the end of the fire season. On Saturday, a forest fire near Almora came close to Cantt’s residential buildings. After nearly an hour of labor, firefighters extinguished the fire.
It took more than four hours to put out the forest fire that had reached the Collectorate complex in Bageshwar. The fire destroyed the Swan Centre’s communication lines. On Saturday, the internet went down, disrupting the operation of over 40 departments. A fire broke out on the slope of the Collectorate complex at 6 p.m. on Friday. The DM, SDM, and disaster management personnel all remained on the site. The fire near the facility was brought under control at quarter to nine. However, it took an hour to put out the fires around the complex.
598 forest fires have occurred in the state from November 2023.
There have been 598 forest fires in the state since November 2023. Of these, 329 occurred in Kumaon, 128 in the Garhwal division, and 51 in wildlife areas. The accidents have caused damage to 725 hectares of forest in the state. This has harmed 424 hectares of forest wealth in the Kumaon division, 240 hectares in Garhwal, and 59 hectares in the wildlife region.
The oxygen plant was destroyed in salt.
The oxygen plant and office papers were destroyed by a forest fire at CHC Devalaya in Salt Almora. Neither the fire department nor the forest department crew arrived at the scene. Health workers were able to put out the fire. The fire was extinguished by emptying all of the water tanks. The forest fire is also threatening vehicles parked along the roadside. A forest fire in Salt recently destroyed a polling worker’s bike, which was parked on the road. At the same time, the car was burned by a forest fire in Tatik, the city.
The fire spread to Magnesite Factory’s mines office.
A forest fire also burned the mines office of Kafligair Magnesite Factory in the Bageshwar district. As a result, 12 rooms in the mine’s office, which was housed in a tin shack, were burned. The machines, computers, and furniture stored in the rooms were also burned in the fire. The loss from the incident is believed to be more than Rs 20-25 lakh. Aside from that, there’s fire in the forests of Kapkot, Kausani, and Dharamghar. However, according to Forest Department data, just 12 forest fire events have been reported in the district. The forest fire in Kausani had approached the cantonment area. The team used two vehicles to suppress the fire in Kausani. The fires in the forests of Jhiroli and Pauridhar have also been contained.
The woodland fires are also disrupting transportation. Traffic was halted as a flaming pine tree fell on the Almora-Bageshwar National Highway. Trees were cut down using cutter machines, and traffic was smoothed out.
The big fire in the forests of Jamraya Khola, Gram Sabha Patan, Lohaghat (Champawat), has caused significant damage to forest richness and animals. The fire burned in the block’s Shankhapal and Chanda Van forests until late at night. The fire consumed and damaged oak, birch, and phalyanth trees. Smoke spread throughout the Champawat district when a fire broke out in the fields of Kot Amodi. A fire broke out in Kot Amori’s fields during the day on Friday.
Two houses in Tanakpur were burned down recently.
There were two incidents of fire in the forest and Dogadi range near Sailanigoth Nai Basti in Tanakpur (Champawat) area. Firefighter Deepak Singh Mehar, forest guard Ganga Kunwar, Akshay Kumar, and Hoshiar Singh suffered heat exhaustion during the fires in Boom Forest Range on Friday and received first aid treatment. Due to forest fires, wildlife is approaching the population. Ghurads were seen near Bangapani Market on Saturday.
The fire that started in the Haldu forest of Gahtora in the Pati development block of Champawat district spread to the residences. At 4 p.m. on Saturday, the forest fire in Patharkot had reached three residences. Fire damaged a two-story house where an elderly person lived. Liladhar, 79 years old, was rescued by nearby people. He claims that the fire has caused a loss of Rs 10 lakh. The old person has received an initial payment of Rs 5,000. Govind Singh’s residence caught fire at Pati’s Talli Ladi. The fire completely destroyed everything in the house.
According to the DFO, an FIR will be lodged against the individuals responsible for setting fire.
Pithoragarh Divisional Forest Officer Ashutosh Singh has stated that action will be done against individuals who set fire to forests under the Forest Act, and a FIR will be filed. Someone has been charged with starting a forest fire in Munsiyari. According to him, the fire in Pithoragarh area has already affected 50 hectares of forest.
The districts of Champawat and Nainital are delicate :
According to forest officials, the Nainital and Champawat districts of Kumaon are currently very sensitive to forest fires. In Nainital district, forests are burning. In such cases, Air Force helicopters have responded to put out the flames. At 6.30 a.m. on Saturday, an Air Force helicopter MI-17 began operations. By 2.30 p.m., the Air Force chopper had loaded around eight to ten times with water from Bhimtal Lake and dumped it on the fire in the forests of Ladiyakata, Nainital’s pines. Boating operations in the lake were halted while the helicopter filled it with water. Air Force officers were present in Bhimtal.
Many forests of the district, including Bhimtal, Bhawali, and pines, were destroyed.
Due to the fire. The forest wealth of Bhimtal, Bhawali, Pines, Okhalkanda, Ranibagh, Ramgarh, Betalghat, and Dhari woods has been severely damaged. Vijay Melkani, Forest Range Officer for the Bhawali Range of the Nainital Forest Division, stated that Air Force helicopters are assisting in the extinguishment of the forest fire. In addition, forest department officials are working to put out the fire. Nainital SDM Pramod Kumar stated that from Saturday morning to afternoon, the Air Force helicopter worked to suppress the fire in the forests surrounding Nainital. SDM stated that if there is a fire in the forest, helicopter assistance will be sought in the future.
Hold a virtual collecting; there is no need to travel to Doon during the fire season.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami stated at a review meeting held at the Forest Training Academy that as long as the fire season continues, personnel at the level of Forest Conservator and Chief Forest Conservator will be invited to departmental meetings. There is no need for them to travel to Dehradun for the conference; instead, they can participate virtually while remaining at their office. In addition to Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat, officials from the District Administration and Forest Department of the Kumaon division attended the meeting virtually. The Chief Minister directed staff to address drinking water and transportation congestion issues.