West Himalayas Record Sharp Rise in Wildfires in a Year

FOREST fires in the Western Himalaya region increased manifold during the wildfire season (November to June) this year, compared to a year ago.

- JITENDRA CHOUBEY @New Delhi

FOREST fires in the Western Himalaya region increased manifold during the wildfire season (November to June) this year, compared to a year ago. Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir registered a sharp rise in forest fire incidents, causing extensive damage to forest coverage.

According to the 18th biennial assessment of India's forests—India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023)—released recently by the Forest Survey of India (FSI), there is a phenomenal rise in forest fire incidents in the western Himalayan states during the forest fire season between November 2023 and June 2024.

For instance, in Jammu and Kashmir, there has been an 18-times increase in forest fire incidents compared to the previous year. As per ISFR data, there were 327 fire incidents recorded in the state this season, while only 19 incidents were reported last year.