Forest Fire Alert! Uttarakhand’s Nainital, a beautiful Hill Station, now is engulfed in a severe forest fire which has escalated significantly in the last 60 hours. The fire has already consumed over 108 hectares of forest land in the state.
There have been 26 forest fire incidents reported in the Kumaon region and five in the Garhwal region in the last 24 hours, according to different reports. The total area of forest land affected by these fires is 33.34 hectares. The Forest Department of Uttarakhand published the most recent daily bulletin, which included all of this information.
Fire reaches Residential Area
The fire, which started near the district headquarters of Nainital, now poses a threat to Nainital's prestigious High Court Colony located in the Pines area. Apart from the immediate threat to homes, the blaze has caused disruptions to regular traffic flow in the region, raising worries about its potential escalation.
As the flames leap higher in the forest fire near Nainital's district centre, residents are complaining about the thick smog blanketing the area. To the dismay of eager tourists flocking to Nainital for some summers, boating on the Naini Lake has been halted as a precautionary action.
Adding to the anxiety, there's concern that the fire might reach sensitive military zones nearby, making life even harder for the firefighting teams.
Uttarakhand: There has been a massive fire in the forests of Nainital for 4 days, the flames have reached the High Court, Air Force helicopters have been deployed to extinguish the fire, apart from Nainital, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pauri,Tirupati are also affected. #NainitalFire pic.twitter.com/CA5WM6yxnA— COQ Byte 🔺 (@Jaan_CR7) April 27, 2024
Army to the Rescue
Reports indicate that to swiftly extinguish the fire, the Administration has sought assistance from the Indian Army. The IAF, along with the Army, responded to the forest department's call for assistance in managing the fire.
Joint operations entail the deployment of forest department staff in addition to army units, with helicopters ready to offer additional assistance as needed. At the forest department's request, two Indian Army columns have been sent to the Kumaon area to assist with firefighting efforts.
Due to the fire's proximity to an Air Force Station close to the Nanda range, the Indian Air Force used a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for Bambi Bucket Operations as part of its aerial firefighting capability.
According to ANI, an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mi-17 helicopter was seen on Saturday taking water from Bhimtal Lake in Nainital to help the forest department put out a fire in the area.
With a forest fire building up in vicinity of an Air Force Station near Nainital, #IAF activated its aerial fire fighting capability, employing a Mi-17 V5 helicopter for undertaking Bambi Bucket Ops. pic.twitter.com/2wLbTjW5m8— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) April 27, 2024
A team of 42 people, including two forest rangers and 40 members of the Manora Range, was gathered by the Nainital administration in response to the emergency to combat the wildfire. The principal aim is to put out the fire and reduce its impact on the impacted areas, according to Chandrashekhar Joshi, the Nainital Divisional Forest Officer.
Shocking Surge in Fire Cases
The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand saw 31 new forest fire incidents in 24 hours over the past day, resulting in the loss of 33.34 hectares of forest land, according to the state's forest department. Of these, five occurred in the Garhwal region and 26 in the Kumaon region.
Since November 1, 2023, there have been 575 forest fire incidents in Uttarakhand, resulting in the loss of 689.89 hectares of forest land and economic losses exceeding ₹14 lakh.
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Of all the districts, Nainital had the most forest fire incidents between February and April of this year—roughly five times as many as the same period the previous year. Notable events also occurred in Champawat, Almora, Pauri, and Pithoragarh in the following.
In Uttarakhand, forest fires are a common problem in Summers, reasons being dry weather, high temperatures, deforestation, and or may be any human misbehaviour including deliberately igniting the fire.
Uttarakhand CM Dhami Aerial Inspection
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed concern about the escalating forest fire, affirming the government's diligent efforts to contain it, including seeking assistance from the Army.
नैनीताल क्षेत्र में वनाग्नि से हुए नुकसान का हवाई सर्वेक्षण किया। जंगलों में आग लगाने वाले अराजक तत्वों के विरुद्ध सख़्त कार्रवाई करने एवं वनाग्नि पर नियंत्रण पाने हेतु हम निरंतर कार्य कर रहे हैं। pic.twitter.com/xAFhnimUNL— Pushkar Singh Dhami (Modi Ka Parivar) (@pushkardhami) April 27, 2024
“The forest fires are a challenge for us. This is a big fire. We are working for all the essential needs. We have asked for help from the Army... I am going to conduct a meeting in Haldwani today. We have conducted a meeting in Dehradun also regarding this. We will try to control the fire as soon as possible,” Mr Dhami said.
On Saturday, the Chief Minister personally conducted an aerial inspection of the forest fire damage in Nainital. He has instructed officials to stay vigilant and collaborate with all departments to implement necessary measures to prevent future fires.
Taking to X, Dhami said, “An aerial survey of the damage caused by forest fire in Nainital area was conducted. We are continuously working to take strict action against the miscreants who set fire to forests and to control forest fire."
Three Arrests Made so far
Under the guidance of the Divisional Forest Officer, the forest fire protection team apprehended three individuals who were arrested in Rudraprayag for attempting to set fire to the forests in two separate areas, Jakholi and Rudraprayag.
Naresh Bhatt from Tadiyal village, Tehsil-Jakholi, as he attempted to ignite a fire in the forests to clear space for goat grazing, according to a statement from the district administration. During questioning, Bhatt admitted to igniting the fire to encourage new grass growth for his sheep to graze upon.
Additionally, Hemant Singh and Bhagwati Lal were apprehended while in the act of setting fire to Dangwal village of North Jakholi. These individuals have been charged under the Indian Forest Act 1927 and have been remanded to jail.
The end note, a beautiful touristy destination, which receives a lot of travellers from around the world, has been struggling with a devastating forest fire, causing a threat to many lives. This tragic incident raises alarms about the significant loss of our forests, which are home to a huge wildlife. Authorities need to take some rigorous measures to protect the forest and our wildlife. The seriousness of this issue needs to be realised now to mitigate the devastating effects of forest fires in the future.
Photo: X
(Inputs from Agencies)
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