Pauri Garhwal: A forest fire that broke out in Uttarakhand's Srinagar on May 23, continues to burn today, but with a higher intensity.
As per the forest department, the fire broke out at a distance of 3 km from Srinagar and spread to the forest cover in no time.
This year, more than 900 hectares of land in Kumaon and Garhwal regions has been gutted in wildfire incidents so far, Chief Conservator of Forest PK Singh said.
As on May 13, there were over 60 fresh cases of forest fire reported from different parts of Uttarakhand with the numbers increasing every day.
The total affected area so far is 924.335 hectares, out of which 719.535 hectares fall under reserve forest area and 204.8 hectares is Van Panchayat area, Singh said.
With the state already fretting over the COVID-19 pandemic, the forest fires are an addition to the woes of the state. However, the scenario seemed to be different until last month.
The state witnesses a fire season from February 15 to June 15 every year. During this time, the state fire department remains geared up for keeping up with any emergency.
Heavy rains that lashed the state in April were expected to follow throughout the monsoon season. But the sudden outbreak of wildfire has raised a severe environmental and biodiversity concern for the state authorities. The rest of the world, however, remains unwavered by the situation.
The average temperature on the hills is rising with each passing day. Hundreds of animals and thousands of trees have been gutted by the fire so far.
But with no official data, it is difficult to ascertain the percentage or number of losses that the state has suffered.
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