News Analysis India

Tag: forest fire

  • Army helps douse major forest fire near LoC in J-K’s Rajouri

    By PTI
    JAMMUI: The Indian Army on Sunday doused a major fire near the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, preventing damage to seasonal crops in two villages, officials said.

    The fire in Lam forest in Nowshera sector started around 12.30 am and took the army and the locals several hours to put it off, the officials said.

    “The Indian Army at Lam undauntingly, regardless of personal safety went over the steep hillocks by midnight around 0030 hrs and helped douse the forest fire spread preventing damage to seasonal crops of residents of Kallar nd Gunni villages,” Army’s Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a tweet.

    The officials said the fire spread fast, threatening the standing wheat crops but timely intervention by the Army averted a major tragedy.

    A defence spokesman said the army, in a separate case, extinguished a house fire and also provided relief to the affected family in Mangat area of Ramban district.

    “At midnight of May 22, a major fire broke out in the house of Mohammad Yusuf Wani at Mangat.

    Army personnel from Mohubal immediately rushed for assistance and doused the fire using their fire extinguishers,” the spokesman said.

    He said the quick response by the Army and locals could control the fire and its spread to neighbouring houses after five hours of efforts.

    “Army personnel entered the house and successfully retrieved important household items as well.

    The upper floor of the house was completely damaged, however, the lower floor was saved due to the joint efforts,” he said.

    The spokesman said no one was injured in the incident.

    Later, the Army also provided relief material to the house owner and his family, the spokesman said, adding the village is remotely located, where such incidents are mostly handled by joint efforts.

  • Wildfires: Uttarakhand to review economic loss methodology, activists raise questions

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: Questions are being raised by activists on the methodology used by the forest department to ascertain economic loss caused by forest fires in Uttarakhand. 

    Consider this: The damages in the ongoing fire season are pegged at Rs 42.56 lakh for 1529.28 hectares gutted in 1,116 incidents.

    The average estimate of Rs 2,904 per hectare for compensation is too less, asserted activists.

    “One hectare area amounts to 10000 square meters. How can losses in such a large area be calculated with an average of Rs 2,904? The method is faulty and outdated. This needs to change. This is not only injustice to the people of Uttarakhand but also to the country,” said Anoop Nautiyal from Social Development for Communities Foundation.

    For pine forests, the rate is fixed at Rs 3,000 per hectare, Rs 2,000 per hectare for sal forests and Rs 1,000 per hectare for mixed forests.

    Similarly, Rs 20 is fixed for loss of a plant which is one-year-old, Rs 22.40 for two-year-old, Rs 24.96 for three-year-old, Rs 28 for tress over four year and Rs 32 for those above five years of age.

    Meanwhile, IAF helicopters began their firefighting operations in Uttarakhand on Monday, conducting several sorties over the burning forests in the Garhwal region to spray water over the raging flames and extinguish them.

    A total of 85 more forest fire incidents occurred in the state over the last 24 hours, according to data of the forest department.

    An IAF helicopter with a bucket carrying around 5,000 litres of water from the Tehri lake doused the flaming forests of Gaja, Pokhri and Quili in the district, Narendra Nagar Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) and the nodal officer of the operation, DS Meena, said.

    Two sorties were made, first to conduct a recce of the affected areas in Tehri district, followed by two more to pour 10,000 litres of water over active spots in the Narendra Nagar forest division, he said.

    The operation was stopped later in the afternoon as the weather was not conducive, officials said, adding that it will be resumed on Tuesday.

    Sorties will also be conducted by the Indian Air Force helicopters on Tuesday to pour water over the burning forests of Thauldhar block of the district, Tehri DFO Koko Rose said.

    Boating activities in the Tehri lake were kept suspended during the day so that the IAF helicopters can collect water from the lake in an uninterrupted way.

    Another IAF helicopter stationed at Haldwani for the purpose could not make sorties due to low visibility caused by a thick cover of smoke emanating from the smouldering forests, Kumaon DFO Tejaswini Patil Dhakate said.

    According to the data, the last 24 hours have seen 85 fresh forest fire incidents in which 165.45 hectares of forests have been destroyed.

    By Sunday, there were 983 forest fire incidents in the state in which 1,292 hectares of forests had been gutted.

    Nainital, Almora, Tehri and Pauri districts have been the worst hit.

    A total of 12,000 forest department personnel are deployed to control the fires.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Centre provides two choppers, NDRF team to combat Uttarakhand wildfires

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN: The central government on Sunday agreed to provide two choppers and forces from National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to combat forest fires in Uttarakhand after four people and 7 animals were reported dead. The fires also left 22 animals two people wounded. 

    The development came after Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat spoke to union home minister Amit Shah. 

    “I spoke to honourable union home minister Amit Shah apprising him about the serious situation of forest fires in the state. He promised help and now two choppers have been deployed by the Centre along with other resources including staff from National Disaster Response Force,” said the CM. 

    One chopper will be deployed in Gochar which will use a water source from Srinagar while another one will be deployed in Haldwani of the Kumaon division and utilize Bhimtal lake as a water source. 

    The Mi 17 used ‘Bambi Bucket’ in 2016 wildfires which carries 5000 liters of water. 

    In this fire season, the state has lost 1359.83 hectares of forest area in 1028  forest fires incidents till date amounting to Rs 39.46 lakh of monetary loss. Fire season starts in Uttarakhand from February 15 and ends on June 15 with arrival of monsoons in the state.

    The state government has also cancelled all leaves of officials and personnel of the state forest department. An emergency meeting through video conferencing was called by the CM which included the Chief Secretary of the state, district magistrate of all 13 districts and key officials from the state forest department. 

    The officials were asked by the CM to push in every available resource to combat the forest fires and keep eye on the situation 24×7. 

    A total of 12000 personnel and officials from the state forest department have been deployed to tackle the fires with the help of 1300 fire crew stations established across the state. 

    Since Uttarakhand came into existence in the year 2000, forest fires have registered over 500% increase in terms of area engulfed, revealed the data from state forest department.  In these 21 years, the total forest area engulfed by forest fires stands around 47000 hectares while the total economic loss was Rs over Rs 2 crore. 

  • Centre orders deployment of NDRF teams, helicopters in Uttarakhand to tackle forest fires

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the government has ordered the deployment of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams and helicopters in Uttarakhand to tackle forest fires in the state.

    The home minister also spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat and took stock of the situation arising out of the forest fires.

    “I have spoken to Uttarakhand Chief Minister @TIRATHSRAWAT and inquired about the forest fires.

    To overcome fires and prevent loss of life and property, the central government has issued orders for immediately making available teams of @NDRFHQ and helicopters to the government of Uttarakhand,” Shah said in a tweet in Hindi.

    There have been reports of forest fires in several districts of Uttarakhand in last few days.