The figures of the last 24 hours released on Tuesday proved to be a relief for the forest department. Only four hectares of forest was affected in four incidents of fire. But this time three times more forest has been burnt so far as compared to last year. Between November 1, 2022 and May 28, 2023, 576 hectares of forest was burnt in 484 fire incidents. At the same time, 1152 cases of fire were reported between November 2023 and May 28, 2024. Due to which 1584 hectares of forest was reduced to ashes in Uttarakhand. The challenging time will continue till June 15. The Forest Department considers the main fire season to be from February 15 to June 15. But even in winter, the monitoring time starts from November when cases come to light. In this fire season, the situation was under control till March. Only about 32 hectares of forest was burnt in the state. But with the beginning of April, the incidents kept increasing continuously. The situation in Kumaon was worse than in Garhwal. According to Additional Chief Forest Conservator Forest Fire and Disaster Management Nishant Verma, 1438 crew stations and 174 watch towers have been built in the state to control and monitor the incidents of fire.
436 cases registered for arson
The forest department had also started taking strict measures as the cases of forest fire increased. So far 436 cases have been registered on the charge of arson. In 371 cases, FIRs have been lodged against unknown persons and in 65 against named persons. In Garhwal, 635 hectares of forest were affected in 471 incidents of fire, while in Kumaon, 827 hectares of forest has been burnt in 586 cases so far. Also, 121 hectares of forest has been damaged in 95 incidents in areas connected to wildlife sanctuaries.
Five deaths in Kumaon and one in Garhwal
According to the Forest Department, five people have lost their lives in Kumaon due to forest fires, while one in Garhwal. While six people in the state have also been injured in the fire.
