Fire in Nuh forest leaves trees gutted

Hundreds of trees in the Tauru forest in Nuh district burned down after a blaze swept through the area, forest and fire officials aware of the matter said on Saturday

Updated on: Dec 10, 2023, 05:20:11 IST

By Leena Dhankhar

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Hundreds of trees in the Tauru forest in Nuh district burned down after a blaze swept through the area, forest and fire officials aware of the matter said on Saturday.

Gurugram, India-December 09, 2023: A fire broke out in Tauru forest area after illegal industrial chemical waste dumped caught fire and spread inside the forest leaving hundreds of trees turned into ashes, in Gurugram, India, on Saturday, 09 December 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Officials said the fire broke out on Wednesday near Khori Kalan village near Tauru town, adding that it took the 10 fire tenders sent to the spot around two days to control the blaze.

Fireman Sukhbir Singh said, “10 fire tenders were used, and it will take two more days to completely douse the flames.”

Village panch Javed Khan said they tried to spray water so that the fire could be controlled, but the smoke is still emanating from the spot. “Residents have complained about respiratory issues due to the smoke. We have used more than 100 water tractor trolleys with the help of more than 50 villagers,” he said.

The residents also alleged that the fire was triggered by industrial chemical waste from Bhiwadi in Rajasthan illegally dumped in the forest.

Azad Ali, a member of the Khori Kalan panchayat who alerted the fire department about the blaze, said, “We have become a dump yard for the factories in Bhiwadi. Initially they would just discharge liquid chemicals here but now dumping mafia come at night and dump industrial waste in forest land. It is that waste which caught fire.”

Nuh district forest officer Vijender Singh said that teams have been monitoring the spot for the last three days and will calculate the loss once the situation becomes normal. “We have also asked the locals to remain at distance to ensure they are safe. We are visiting the site twice a day and a team is deployed at the spot,” he said.

Fireman Singh said, “The fire has damaged a lot of plantation in the forest area. Tonnes of waste has been lying here for the last one year, and scrap dealers and rag pickers have turned the area into a dump yard leading to fire incidents.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Leena Dhankhar
Leena Dhankhar is Senior Editor and Bureau Chief, Gurugram, at Hindustan Times, where she has spent over 17 years chronicling the transformation of one of India's fastest-growing urban regions. From starting her career as a crime reporter to leading the Gurugram bureau, her journalism has been defined by investigative reporting, in-depth storytelling and an unwavering focus on public interest. Over nearly two decades, she has reported extensively across crime, politics, civic governance, elections, real estate, environment, courts, sports, education and entertainment, covering Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal. Her reporting has exposed several major scams and systemic failures, including insurance frauds, waste management irregularities, illegal arms manufacturing units in Nuh, illegal mining in the Aravallis, organised crime networks and governance lapses affecting millions of residents. Known for her investigative work and exclusive stories, Leena has reported on high-impact national issues, including the Nicaragua charter flight carrying Indian migrants that was turned back amid allegations of human trafficking, exposing the growing network of illegal immigration rackets. Her work has also focused on gang wars, prison administration, juvenile crime, women and child protection systems, the functioning of the Juvenile Justice Board and Child Welfare Committee, and environmental challenges such as pollution, waterlogging and deteriorating civic infrastructure. Beyond hard news, Leena has extensively documented Haryana's rich heritage, forests and wildlife, bringing attention to the state's historical landmarks, biodiversity, conservation efforts and ecological challenges through immersive reportage and feature writing. Her journalism has consistently gone beyond breaking news. She has documented Gurugram's rapid urbanisation through long-form narratives and enterprise reporting on issues ranging from pothole-ridden roads, flooding and waste management to the changing social fabric of India's Millennium City. She also writes widely read feature columns, including The Outsider, Changemaker, and Concern for Gurugram, profiling people, places and ideas shaping the city's identity. Leena is the author of Gurugram School Murder, published by Juggernaut Books, a deeply reported account of one of India's most high-profile school murder investigations. She is currently working on her second book, an investigative work exploring some of India's most significant scams and fraud investigations. Beyond print journalism, she has expanded her storytelling through public speaking and digital media. She is a TEDx speaker and has produced podcasts exploring Gurugram's transformation, civic challenges and untold stories. Her work reflects a commitment to narrative journalism that combines rigorous reporting with compelling storytelling. A law graduate with an MBA in Human Resources, Leena brings a multidisciplinary perspective to her reporting, particularly on governance, public policy and legal affairs. She has travelled extensively across India to pursue investigative assignments, often reporting from remote locations and conflict-prone areas in search of stories that matter.Read More