PERSISTENT AND PERSISTENTLY misunderstood. That, in a nutshell, is the story of forest fires in Uttarakhand.
Fires break out each year between March and mid-June, before the onset of the monsoon. They spawn headlines like ‘Forest fires rage across Uttarakhand’ and ‘State loses hundreds of hectares of green cover in 24 hours’. Hyperbole, misinformation and poorly explained science paint a picture of roaring fires devouring trees and animals, and destroying property and livelihoods. The forest fires of Uttarakhand are nothing of the kind, though. For starters, they are not ‘crown fires’, which spread to the top of the trees.
They are, in fact, ground fires that feed on fallen pine needles. Mostly man-made, the fires are aided by high temperatures and winds.
The number of forest fires varies every year. In 2002, there were 1,401 such incidents. In 2016, the figure went up to 12,958, and then fell to 2,158 in 2019. As of June 2022, there have been 2,131 forest fires, affecting more than 3,348 hectares and causing a loss of ₹87.31 lakh. Uttarakhand has a forest cover of 53.48 lakh hectares.
Periodic fires are needed to maintain ecological balance and lower the possibility of larger, uncontrolled fires. But what makes recurring fires a matter of concern is that it produces black carbon—sooty material that not just pollutes the atmosphere, but warms it as well, leading to the melting of Himalayan glaciers.
This story is from the July 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 03, 2022 edition of THE WEEK India.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
BIOPIC AND BEYOND
Randeep Hooda may have proved his acting credentials with biopics, but typecast him at your own peril
Flutter of flimsy wings
Butterfly Research Centre in Bhimtal boasts 3,500 butterfly and moth specimens
SIMILAR STATES, DIFFERENT BATTLES
The Congress seems to have the edge in Telangana while in Andhra Pradesh, Chandrababu Naidu and Jagan Mohan Reddy are locked in a bitter battle
A RIDE TO REMEMBER
On board Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s bus as he was attacked
Winning 14 of 17 seats is my target
Anumula Revanth Reddy is on a mission to demonstrate a democratic and egalitarian facet of power and leadership.
LOTUS TAKES ROOT
Buoyed by its slowly growing acceptance among the voters in Tamil Nadu, the BJP is mounting its fiercest offensive ever
BLANK CHECK
Several factors favour an increase in the BJP’s vote share in Kerala, but whether the party can win a seat remains uncertain
CONGRESS HAS A HISTORY OF MAKING ADJUSTMENTS WITH COMMUNAL FORCES
In April 2021, as Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was leading the CPI(M)’s assembly poll campaign to win a second consecutive term, a spirited debate erupted in Kerala over an epithet that party workers had bestowed on him.
POLL PLOT
Congress hopes its five guarantees’ will blunt BJP’s aggressive push
MODI'S GUARANTEES REMAIN IN SPEECHES, MY GUARANTEES ARE FULFILLED
The transformation is unmissable. The old-school mass leader Siddaramaiah has suddenly switched into the new avatar of a master strategist.