DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has witnessed the highest number of forest fire cases in the country in 2024, with over 600 alerts issued. Officials from the department attribute this situation to minimal rainfall and snowfall. The dry weather and lack of moisture in the soil have led to an unprecedented surge in forest fire incidents.
According to the forest department, Uttarakhand has experienced an unprecedented surge in forest fire alerts, with over 600 cases reported between January 9 and 16, marking the highest number in the country. Officials attribute this surge to the scarcity of rainfall, resulting in winter forest fires.
Following Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh ranks second with over 400 alerts, while Jammu and Kashmir holds third place with approximately 250 alerts.
For the past four days, the forests in the Nagnath range of the Kedarnath wildlife division have been engulfed in smoke and flames. Forest Range Officer Naval Kishore stated, “Our team is currently dedicated to extinguishing the fire, and we are also implementing measures to control its spread to other areas.”
“The pine forests of Aila, Partoli, and Lakhri Tok under Jaurasi and Masoli beats have been burnt, and the fire has now reached the Bamnath beat forest. Forest personnel and local villagers are engaged in extinguishing the fire, but it remains a significant challenge due to the difficult geographical conditions in this forest,” revealed sources from the forest department.
Dr. Bikram Singh, the director of the State Meteorological Center, mentioned, “Between January 1 and 16 this year, Uttarakhand experienced a complete absence of rain and snowfall. Nainital received a mere 0.8 mm of rainfall, significantly lower than the usual 14 mm during this period.”
“Similarly, Almora and Bageshwar were expected to receive more than 15 mm of rainfall, while Chamoli was projected to receive 20 mm, and Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi were forecasted to receive 28 mm and 26 mm respectively by this time. However, all the hill districts received 100 percent less rainfall than the normal levels,” disclosed sources.
Over 600 alerts
The forest department says Uttarakhand has experienced an unprecedented surge in forest fire alerts, with over 600 cases reported between January 9 and 16, marking the highest number in the country. Officials attribute this surge to the scarcity of rainfall.