Uttarakhand Forest Fires
Uttarakhand Forest Fires: With the help of an IAF helicopter, firefighters are still battling fires in Uttarakhand’s forests, making progress in putting out the flames in Ramnagar, Haldwani, and Nainital.
In the last twenty-four hours, Uttarakhand has seen eight new forest fires that have destroyed 11.75 hectares of land. As per the daily bulletin of the forest department, there was a drop in the number of events reported between Friday evening and Saturday evening, which resulted in damage to 34.175 hectares, as reported by news agency PTI. According to the bulletin, there have been 606 forest fires in the state since November 1, 2023, resulting in the destruction of 735.815 hectares of forest land.
According to Prasanna Kumar Patro, Kumaon’s Chief Conservator of Forests, there had been no significant forest fires in the previous twenty-four hours. But in the Kumaon area, there were still two or three fires in the Nainital district and one each in Champawat, Almora, Pithoragarh, and Bageshwar.
Uttarakhand Forest Fires: According to Patro, the IAF helicopter that was sent out on Saturday helped put out the fire in the forests of Ladiyakata and the Pines region along the Nainital-Bhowali route. The decision to use the aircraft was made on Friday after a forest fire in Nainital had grown dangerously near an Air Force base housing critical equipment and the High Court Colony.
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With the assistance of an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter, the firefighting effort in the woods of Uttarakhand continued on Sunday for the second day in a row. According to officials, there has been progress in containing the fire in a number of regions. Forest officials said on Sunday that more is being done to put out the wildfires that are raging throughout the state, especially in the areas of the Nainital, Haldwani, and Ramnagar forest divisions that are seriously affected.
Uttarakhand Forest Fires: Extinguishment operations have been successful in many areas, and the forest fires have progressively become under control. Authorities reported that the flames in the Maniknath range of the Narendranagar forest division have completely gone out in the Khanana and Marora urban areas. “After the deployment of an IAF helicopter for the firefighting operations on Saturday morning, the forest blaze in Nainital and adjoining areas is gradually being brought under control,” said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday night after reviewing the situation in the Kumaon region.
Uttarakhand Forest Fires: An Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter has been stationed in Nainital and the nearby areas in an effort to put out the fire. Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat revealed that in addition to the IAF helicopter and Army men, volunteers from Prantiya Rakshak Dal and homeguard personnel had also been called in to help fight fires. In order to quickly deliver firefighting teams to impacted areas, additional government trucks have been assigned, two for each of the three forest divisions, according to Rawat.
“Help from locals with involvement of forest panchayat officials is also being taken as they are the first responders to forest fires,” Rawat said, recognizing the critical role that local people play. During a briefing in Pauri, Garhwal DFO Anirudh Swapnil disclosed that forest department employees are aggressively spreading awareness about forest fires among the people living in hillside villages. According to PTI, he said, “Loudspeakers are being used to spread the messages, urging people to report any forest blaze immediately to the authorities and refrain from burning garbage or carelessly discarding burning items like cigarettes or bidis in forest areas.”
Uttarakhand Forest Fires: Swapnil emphasized, “People are also being asked to report to the authorities if they catch someone setting a fire in the forests. This is part of our effort to deter intentional fire-setting.” The forest department will provide rewards to anyone who reports such a breach.” He threatened legal action under the Forest Act of 1927 against anyone found responsible for starting a forest fire.