U’khand to build reservoirs to fight wildfires

DEHRADUN: Forest minister Subodh Uniyal on Thursday announced that the government will set up water reservoirs in areas prone to forest fires in the state and a drive to identify sensitive wildfire areas will start soon.

These reservoirs will be used to extinguish forest fires, he said while replying to a question of Congress MLA Pritam Singh during the Question Hour in the ongoing budget session of the state assembly.

Singh asked whether incidents of forest fires were increasing or decreasing in the state due to change in the pattern of rain during monsoon season and what the state government was doing to check forest fires.

Uniyal said the government has started initiatives to check forest fires. “We have decided to form forest fire committees at gram panchayat level. These committees will also be provided monetary incentives,” he said.

The Congress MLA from Dharchula in Pithoragarh, Harish Singh Dhami, questioned how incidents of forest fires are linked to climate change in the state. Uniyal responded by saying when temperatures rise and there was less rainfall, forest fires can increase and as such forest fires are linked with climate change.

The forest minister said the house that this year till June 12 over 3,358 hectares of forest land have been damaged in forest fires. “Since the formation of the state, during the Covid period in 2020, the state reported minimum damage due to forest fires. Only 172 hectares of forest land were damaged in 2020,” he said.

This year till June 15, the state has reported 2,171 forest fire incidents in which 3,416 hectares of forest land has been damaged.

The forest area affected due to forest fires in pre-Covid 2019 was 2,981 hectares. The corresponding figure was 4,480 hectares in 2018, 1,228 hectares in 2017, 4,433 hectares in 2016 and 701 hectares in 2015.

Forest fire activity is generally reported in Uttarakhand from February to June, with a peak in fire incidence in May and June. Besides man-made, other reasons for forest fires in the state include lightning, the friction of falling rocks and monkeys accidentally throwing stones that create sparks leading to forest fires. Over 90% of forest fires are man-made.