Pauri Garhwal: Sensing the firefighting urgency to douse raging forest fire, especially after Uttarakahnd Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami's alert, a National Disaster Response Force team arrived at Pauri in Uttarakhand's Pauri Garhwal district on Thursday.
"There are a total of 50 members, including officers, on the NDRF team. Although the incidents of forest fire have been stopped after the rain last night, if the weather remains clear in the coming days, the incidents of forest fire may increase once again. In such a situation, the NDRF team will control the forest fire by landing in the forests," Ashish Chauhan, District Magistrate, Pauri Garhwal, said.
The officer said that with the help of NDRF, the forest department, which is also facing a shortage of manpower, will now get help to control the forest fire to a great extent.
"Just yesterday, the Air Force's MI-17 left the district after controlling the forest fire, while now, in the coming days, the NDRF will take charge if the incidents of forest fire increase," he added.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Thursday conducted a high-level review meeting at the Forest Training Academy in Haldwani to discuss the prevention of forest fires. During the meeting, he directed the senior officials to remain in the field on the spot to effectively prevent incidents of forest fire and maintain the morale of the personnel.
The Chief Minister also directed the personnel of the Forest Department to create better coordination with the villagers. He said that "with better coordination, the villagers will play a role as allies in times of any kind of disaster. This will help to a great extent in reducing the impact of the disaster and the villagers will also feel attached to their forests."
The Chief Minister said, "Although the Forest Department is trying to deal with the incidents of forest fires with time, yet in this direction, the Forest Department should prepare an inclusive plan for the state so that the fires occurring every year can be minimised."
In this regard, he stressed studying the developed models of the country as well as abroad and said that efforts should be made to incorporate them in the state's plan as per the need. The Chief Minister said that "the Forest Department should focus on implementing the works in a better way by strengthening its structure from the lower level."
The Chief Minister directed the road construction agencies to pay special attention to the quality of road construction. He also asked for a plantation in accordance with the ecology of the area and the crash barriers being installed for road safety.
He directed to streamline the supply of drinking water so that the public does not face any problems with drinking water in summer. He said that "if the drinking water line is disrupted for any reason, arrangements should be made for drinking water supply by installing additional tankers."
The Chief Minister directed the Electricity Department to take the necessary action to promote solar panels in government offices. In the meeting, District Magistrate Vandana Singh said that "compared to the incidents of forest fire from February 2019 to May 2024, fewer incidents of fire have occurred in the district this year."
The state has recently witnessed an alarming increase in forest fires, prompting concerns about environmental safety and the impact on local communities. As per reports, forest fires have become an annual feature and the change in weather conditions has resulted in soaring temperatures.
Uttarakhand starts experiencing forest fires in mid-February when the trees shed dry leaves and the soil loses moisture due to a temperature rise, and this continues till mid-June. (With agency inputs)
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