Uttarakhand Forest Fires Rage Across 208 Locations, 130 Hectares Affected

As temperatures continue to soar, forests across Uttarakhand have been engulfed in flames, with fire incidents reported from 208 locations affecting more than 130 hectares of forest land. 

The blaze has also been reported along several stretches of the Char Dham pilgrimage route. In Uttarakhand, the forest fire season officially begins on February 15, and since then, multiple regions have been affected. Low rainfall has only compounded the issue.

A total of 126 fire incidents were reported in reserve forest areas across 41 forest divisions, between February 15 and 27. In civil-soyam and van panchayat regions, 82 incidents were recorded. 

In terms of damage, 70.97 hectares of reserve forest land were affected, while 58.3 hectares were damaged in civil-soyam and van panchayat areas. 

The highest forest fire damage was reported in Rudraprayag Forest Division, where 31 fire incidents affected 21.82 hectares of forest land. This was followed by Badrinath Gopeshwar Forest Division, which recorded the highest number of incidents at 57, resulting in damage to 17.54 hectares. 

Uttarkashi Forest Division reported 8 incidents that affected 12.65 hectares, while Pithoragarh Forest Division saw 14 incidents impacting 11.25 hectares. Kedarnath Wildlife Forest Division recorded 20 fire incidents, which damaged 10.5 hectares of forest area. 

In Alaknanda Soil Conservation Gopeshwar Forest Division, 17 incidents were reported, affecting 9.7 hectares, while Soil Conservation Kalasi Forest Division recorded 5 incidents that damaged 8.5 hectares. 

Pauri Forest Division reported 13 fire incidents affecting 6.7 hectares, followed by Chakrata Forest Division with 7 incidents impacting 4.7 hectares. Narendra Nagar Forest Division recorded 5 incidents that damaged 4 hectares of forest land. New Tehri Forest Division reported 5 incidents affecting 3.8 hectares, while Tons Purola Forest Division saw 9 incidents impacting 2.7 hectares. 

NDNP Forest Division recorded 1 incident affecting 2.5 hectares, and Tehri Dam 2 Forest Division also reported 1 incident affecting 2.3 hectares. Haldwani Forest Division reported 3 incidents affecting 1.9 hectares, while Tarai East Forest Division recorded 3 incidents impacting 1.4 hectares. 

Mussoorie Forest Division reported 2 incidents affecting 1.06 hectares, and Lansdowne Kotdwar Forest Division recorded 2 incidents affecting 1.01 hectares. Almora Forest Division reported 2 incidents affecting 0.6 hectares, while civil-soyam areas of Almora saw 1 incident affecting 0.5 hectares. Tarai West Ramnagar Forest Division also recorded 1 incident affecting 0.5 hectares. 

Chief Conservator of Forests and Forest Fire Nodal Officer Sushant Patnaik said special teams have been deployed in sensitive areas along the pilgrimage route. "Quick Response Teams have also been stationed to control incidents immediately," he said.

"Lakhs of pilgrims expected to travel through the Char Dham route, the forest department, along with police and fire services, has been kept on high alert to prevent any major incident," Patnaik added. 

Forest fires continue to rage in several parts of the state, including Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Pauri and Chakrata. In Chakrata, the situation remains particularly concerning as continuous fires and thick smoke have been reported over the past two days. 

"The fire has engulfed dense forests of oak, rhododendron, kafal and deodar," local reports stated, adding that "a large portion of forest wealth has been reduced to ashes." 

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre has stated that temperature is likely to drop on the 28th and 29th in the state. An orange alert has been issued by the Meteorological Center for the districts of Nainital, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar, and Pithoragarh. 

Rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, hail, and powerful winds with top speeds of 40 to 50 km/h are predicted for these regions. On April 29, similar weather conditions may continue in these districts and could also extend to Dehradun and Tehri.