Himachal Pradesh is grappling with a severe forest fire crisis, with the state’s forest department recording over 1,500 incidents of forest fires. According to departmental data, these blazes have ravaged over 13,000 hectares of forest land in the past 50 days alone.
The fire season in the hill state typically spans from April 15 to June 30.
Rajiv Kumar, the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, expressed grave concern over the escalating situation, stating, “Shimla alone has witnessed over 1,500 incidents of forest fires, resulting in the devastation of over 13,000 hectares of forest land. Forest department officials are diligently working to contain the infernos. Fortunately, there have been no human casualties reported thus far, and our teams are promptly responding to each fire incident.”
Appealing to locals for cooperation in forest fire prevention efforts, Rajiv emphasized the importance of community involvement. “We urge the people of the state to collaborate with the department to safeguard our forests from the ravages of fire. While forest fires were less frequent in the past two years, the accumulation of pine leaves has fueled the recent surge in incidents. Decreasing public engagement with forests due to development exacerbates the situation. While human casualties have been avoided, wildlife habitats have been adversely affected. Though forest fire incidents have reduced, ongoing blazes in 4 to 5 locations demand our continued vigilance,” he added.
Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, who participated in a sapling plantation drive to mark World Environment Day, echoed concerns over the surge in forest fire incidents. He urged locals to refrain from discarding burning materials in forest areas, emphasizing the catastrophic impact of such actions on the state.
“People must refrain from disposing of burning materials in forests. Forest fires inflict significant losses on the entire state. We must take concerted efforts to prevent forest fire incidents,” remarked Shiv Pratap Shukla.
Firefighters from the state’s firefighting department confront numerous challenges due to rugged terrains and inaccessible areas. Despite the hurdles, personnel from the Forest and Fire departments successfully contained a forest fire incident near the Sankat Mochan temple in Shimla earlier on Wednesday.
“This incident occurred near the Sankat Mochan temple area. We managed to extinguish the fire with the help of local support, as residents provided us with two water tanks. While we safeguarded residential areas, reaching remote forest regions remains challenging,” stated Jai Prakash, a firefighter.