The Uttarakhand forest consists of 13 districts spread over
an area of 51,082 sq km, like flowers, it falls under the biographical area
of the Western Himalayas and is known for its diversity of flowers, similar
to any other Himalayan region in the country. There are an estimated 4,000
flowering plants.
In Uttarakhand, a forest fire has erupted from the last four days.
The country is fighting a swarm of coronavirus epidemics and
desert locusts, so another major environmental tragedy has affected
Uttarakhand. The forest has been engulfed in the state for almost four days and
there seems to be no relief for the firefighters.
A large area of
green cover has been engulfed.
The heatwave in the area has made matters worse.
Making matters worse there is a heatwave in north India which
has placed the region as the hottest planet on Tuesday. Summer is exacerbating
wildfires and so far only a few acres have been given green cover.
Super hot winds in the area have already become a bone of
contention for animals working hard to survive as water sources. The state has
already registered a few COVID-19 cases and with the lockout expanded,
officials are taking precautions in firefighting missions so as not to endanger
border workers or locals.
Among all the regions, the Kumaon region has been the worst
affected, followed by the Garhwal region with 21 and 16 forest areas respectively.
The remaining 9 fires are burning in the forest reserve cover, threatening many
wildlife species.
When a forest fire first erupted on May 22, forest officer
Anita Kunwar told ANI that the fire was difficult to control due to wind. At
that time only 5-6 hectares were affected and forces were already called in to
overcome the raging fire. This may be because a large part of the forest is
covered with cedar trees (also known as 'rips') and are highly flammable. They
cover more than 16% of the state's forest.
