Authorities in the Pauri tehsil state that a 65-year-old woman died on Sunday at AIIMS Rishikesh, where she was admitted after sustaining burn injuries while trying to put out a forest fire that had reached her farm.
According to Bikram Singh, the director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, there is a chance of rain in the state from May 7-8, and it will get stronger from May 11. Uttarakhand’s forest fires are still very much alive.
This could help put out the forest fires, he said.
According to Mr. Singh, the rainy season will begin on May 7 in the Kumaon region and on May 8 in the Garhwal region.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked Chief Secretary Radha Raturi to give all the district magistrates a week’s notice and issue instructions to regularly monitor the forest fires.
In Thapli village on Saturday, Savitri Devi noticed a forest fire reaching her farm. She went to collect grass bundles kept there but got caught in the blaze, the District Disaster Management Center said.
She was referred to AIIMS Rishikesh, where she died during treatment in the early hours of Sunday, it said. According to forest department officials, a case has been registered against four people — Piyush Singh, Ayush Singh, Rahul Singh and Ankit — under the Indian Forest Act for setting fire in Gangolihat forest range of Pithoragarh district.
The daily bulletin issued by the forest department here said that in the last 24 hours, 24 incidents of forest fire were reported in the state, which affected 23.75 hectares of forest.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dhami also asked all the district magistrates to give orders to completely ban burning of all types of fodder for a week with immediate effect.
In addition, burning of solid waste in or close to forests has been requested of urban bodies.
On Saturday, Mr. Dhami met with officials to review the incidents involving forest fires that have occurred throughout the state. He instructed the officials to coordinate with one another and devise a plan of action to put out the forest fires as quickly as possible.
“Forest wealth is our heritage which we have to protect at all costs,” the chief minister declared, pleading with the people of Uttarakhand for their cooperation. Approximately 1145 hectares of forest have been affected by 910 forest fire incidents that have occurred in the state since November 1st of last year.
Read More
