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Uttarakhand: Rain brings relief but flames still persist
A fresh spell of showers on Tuesday noon brought relief to the firefighters who were having a tough time controlling the forest fire in Uttarakhand.
A fresh spell of showers on Tuesday noon brought relief to the firefighters who were having a tough time controlling the forest fire in Uttarakhand.
The rainfall was reported in parts of Dehradun, Pithoragarh, Chamoli and Nainital districts. So far around 3,500 hectares of forest has been gutted across state, according to official figures.
The two Indian Air Force (IAF) choppers, which have been pressed into the fire dousing operation, have been of little help. However, rain has given some hope to the officials.
The met office has predicted rain across many places in Uttarakhand till May 6.
Dehradun MeT Centre director Bikram Singh said, “The rain was the result of a wave of western disturbance affecting northwest India.” Some parts of the state also experienced thunder squall (very high speed winds) with wind speed reaching up to 60 to 70 kilometres per hour.
Read: Uttarakhand govt pays Rs 85 for a litre of water dropped
In the forest fires, two firefighters were injured in Nainital district. Total 16 people were injured and six died in the fires this season. However, the official figures show only four deaths.
Head of forest force (HoFF) Rajinder Kumar Mahajan said that showers had brought relief but the department would continue to work on the ground. “Our operations won’t stop. We will continue to douse fire,” he said.
On Tuesday, two villagers were booked under the forest act in Tehri for setting dry grass to fire. In all, 48 complaints have been registered against villagers in this connection.
The wildlife protected areas have also been affected. Corbett Tiger Reserve’s (CTR) Kalagarh range remains susceptible to forest fire. Out of total 66 incidents reported in the protected area, 38 are from Kalagarh. Nearly 300 hectares of forest has been burnt in the reserve. Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary reported 86 incidents burning 250 hectares of forest cover followed by Rajaji that reported 55 incidents in and 200 hectares of fire burnt forest.
