‘WILDFIRES IN UTTARAKHAND AND HIMACHAL PRADESH’-

How bad are the forest fires in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh?
Over 4,500 hectares have been affected in Himachal Pradesh, some 40% more than the 3,185 hectares in Uttarakhand. The latter state has seen 1,470 incidents of fire so far.

Q A
Context?
  • Recently a large part of uttarakhand and HP got engulfed in wildfire.
How bad are the forest fires in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh?
  • Over 4,500 hectares have been affected in Himachal Pradesh, some 40% more than the 3,185 hectares in Uttarakhand. The latter state has seen 1,470 incidents of fire so far.
What is the extent of the damage?
  • The preliminary losses in Himachal have been estimated at Rs 57 lakh. This damage is assessed in terms of loss to new plantations. No loss of human life or heads of cattle, or destruction of human habitation has been reported so far.
When and how did the fires start?
  • Wildfires are an annual occurrence in Uttarakhand, though they have been bigger and more widespread this year. The fire season usually begins from mid-February and lasts until mid-June, when the rains arrive.
  • This year, the fires started early — the first incident was reported on February 2. In Himachal, the first fire was reported on April 7. Their frequency and intensity increased after April 25, the day the state saw 80 incidents of fire.
  • It is possible that the changing patterns of climate may be exacerbating the problem; more research is required to conclude whether the El Niño that set in last year, marked by a lack of pre-monsoon showers, also played a part in intensifying the fires.
  • To summarize the possible reasons for the fire are
    • Poor rainfall
    • Extreme dryness
    • Climate change
    • Chir pine trees that are prone to catching fire and that make up 16% of Uttarakhand forests
    • Pine needles that cover the forest floor are highly combustible.
Was the response to this disaster effective?
  • Disaster response was, by all evidence, slow in coming. The Centre, which bears responsibility for administration as the State is under President’s Rule, got into the act only after the inferno had spread alarmingly. The decision to deploy a few Air Force helicopters could not have achieved much, since a couple of thousand hectares had to be covered.

ADDITIONAL DETAIL: WILDFIRES IN INDIA –

Q A
How vulnerable are forests to wildfires in India?
  • A report titled Forest Fire Disaster Management, prepared by the National Institute of Disaster Management, a body under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in 2012, said about half of India’s forests were prone to fires.
  • 43% were prone to occasional fires and 5% to frequent fires, and 1% were at high or very high risk, the report said, quoting data from, a compilation of 25 years of observations and analyses.
What is the primary reason for wildfires in India?
  • More than 95% of wildfires in India were man-made, the Forest Survey of India’s State Forest Report, 1995 said. Villagers reportedly burn leaves and grass in order to get better growth of grass the following year. They also burn the needles of the chir pine, which form a slippery carpet on the ground.
What are the negative consequences of wildfires?
  • The 2012 report estimated the annual replacement cost of seedlings at Rs 4,400 million. The real losses however, are ecological and social — those of biodiversity, timber, soil moisture and nutrients, etc., besides the environmental impact of heavy smoke rising from the fires.
Is there any benefit of periodic forest fires?
  • Wildfires are sometimes a natural process, and help forests by promoting flowering, branching and seedling establishment.
  • Fires that are limited to the surface may help in the natural regeneration of forests. The heating of the soil may result in helpful microbial activity, and hasten decaying processes that are useful for the vegetation.
How have the authorities been doing for tackling the fires?
  • Forest officials say the traditional method of “beating the fire down” with green branches & ‘Fire Breaks’ work best.
  • IAF aircrafts fly sorties to dump water picked from the neighboring lakes.
  • Running awareness campaigns.
  • Banning people from carrying matchboxes.
How effective have been these measures?
  • According to critics these measures are too little.
  • Many have argued for more modern systems of fire monitoring alongside traditional methods like maintaining fire lines, so there is a clearing between two forests to prevent the fire from spreading from one to the other.
  • There is need for greater interaction between villagers and the Forest Department.
What should be the disaster plan to tackle wildfires?
  • State governments should Involve their community-led ‘ van panchayats’ (forest councils) in preventing fires.
  • Provide environmental education to local residents and officials.
  • The clearing of ecologically important natural oak forests can be reduced by tapping the plantation sector, which could give preference to growing useful fodder and timber trees.
  • Finally, the imperative is to stop the havoc wrought by man-made fires, and compensate those affected.

Write Your Review