KULLU: There is no let-up in forest fires in Himachal Pradesh, as 2,004 blazes have already been recorded in what has become one of the worst summers for forests and wildlife across the state.
The fires so far have destroyed 22,466 hectares of land and caused an estimated loss of Rs 7.62 crore to the department besides harming and unsettling the wildlife. Compared to last year when only 104 forest fires were recorded in the state during summer, the rise this year is a whopping 1826%.
Maximum fires recorded are in regions where average maximum temperature hav been higher this month.
According to the forest department data, Dharamshala has recorded the highest 478 fires, followed by Mandi with 328 fires, Hamirpur 243, Nahan 234, Solan 192, Chamba 144 and Shimla 143.
Forest circles which have suffered the worst losses include Mandi with Rs 1.89 crore, Dharamshala Rs 1.38 crore, Hamirpur Rs 1.23 crore and Bilaspur Rs 1.10 crore.
Ajit Thakur, chief conservator of forests, Mandi Circle, told TOI that there were many reasons for the forest fires but the hot weather tops the list. “This summer, we have been witnessing 40°C and above temperatures in many of our forest circles in the state. Heat provides ideal conditions for the initial spark off and more than often it’s the villagers who deliberately ignite forest fires. It also becomes difficult to put out a forest fire in such high temperatures, which can reach well above 50°C in an area of fire incident. “The other reason is the pine tree leaf-shedding. In the last two years, there have not been any major fires in Himachal forests and this has resulted in an accumulation of dried leaves and grass, which become highly combustible material in rising mercury. Also, the soil’s moisture-holding capacity also decreases in forests due to constant heat and this again is another reason for the fires,” said Thakur.
According to Thakur, better fire-fighting technology was required for the forests of Himachal. “Technology has made fire detection much easier, but we are still not close to using it to douse fire. Unlike the developed countries where fire fighting is an exclusive department with high reliability on technology, we depend manually on our workforce to put out forest fires. We have used army helicopters only in emergency situations,” said Thakur. “Our main target remains to douse a forest fire immediately within the first one to two hours as when it spreads then it becomes uncontrollable,” added Thakur.
Out of the total forest area of 37,033 sq km in Himachal Pradesh, around 17.8% has chir pine forests, which is highly sensitive to forest fires due to their highly inflammable resin content. The state forest department has marked as many as 26 forest divisions, having chir pine trees, in the state, as highly sensitive to forest fires.
The fires so far have destroyed 22,466 hectares of land and caused an estimated loss of Rs 7.62 crore to the department besides harming and unsettling the wildlife. Compared to last year when only 104 forest fires were recorded in the state during summer, the rise this year is a whopping 1826%.
Maximum fires recorded are in regions where average maximum temperature hav been higher this month.
According to the forest department data, Dharamshala has recorded the highest 478 fires, followed by Mandi with 328 fires, Hamirpur 243, Nahan 234, Solan 192, Chamba 144 and Shimla 143.
Forest circles which have suffered the worst losses include Mandi with Rs 1.89 crore, Dharamshala Rs 1.38 crore, Hamirpur Rs 1.23 crore and Bilaspur Rs 1.10 crore.
Ajit Thakur, chief conservator of forests, Mandi Circle, told TOI that there were many reasons for the forest fires but the hot weather tops the list. “This summer, we have been witnessing 40°C and above temperatures in many of our forest circles in the state. Heat provides ideal conditions for the initial spark off and more than often it’s the villagers who deliberately ignite forest fires. It also becomes difficult to put out a forest fire in such high temperatures, which can reach well above 50°C in an area of fire incident. “The other reason is the pine tree leaf-shedding. In the last two years, there have not been any major fires in Himachal forests and this has resulted in an accumulation of dried leaves and grass, which become highly combustible material in rising mercury. Also, the soil’s moisture-holding capacity also decreases in forests due to constant heat and this again is another reason for the fires,” said Thakur.
According to Thakur, better fire-fighting technology was required for the forests of Himachal. “Technology has made fire detection much easier, but we are still not close to using it to douse fire. Unlike the developed countries where fire fighting is an exclusive department with high reliability on technology, we depend manually on our workforce to put out forest fires. We have used army helicopters only in emergency situations,” said Thakur. “Our main target remains to douse a forest fire immediately within the first one to two hours as when it spreads then it becomes uncontrollable,” added Thakur.
Out of the total forest area of 37,033 sq km in Himachal Pradesh, around 17.8% has chir pine forests, which is highly sensitive to forest fires due to their highly inflammable resin content. The state forest department has marked as many as 26 forest divisions, having chir pine trees, in the state, as highly sensitive to forest fires.
