Satellite captures extent of Uttarakhand forest fire
Nearly a hundred hectares of forest have been gutted in fires attributed to increased dryness due to prevailing heatwave conditions in Uttarakhand. The fires are so big that some can be seen from space.Â
Satellite images captured by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellite show large fires raging with plumes of smoke covering the skies in many areas of the state.Â
Sentinel-2 satellite captured active fire in the hills of Uttarakhand on Tuesday morning.
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Forest fires that started on Saturday, April 27, have reduced trees and wildlife to ashes in areas spread over more than 814 hectares, as per the official assessment released on Monday.
The fire continues to rage since then and has spread to more areas. At least 40 active fires were identified in Uttarakhand by US space agency NASA’s MODIS sensor onboard Aqua and Terra satellites between 11 am on Monday and 10 am on Tuesday, shows data accessed by India Today.Â
Out of the total active fires detected in the last 24 hours, 10 have been categorised as “large” by the FSI. Maximum three “large forest fires” were active in Maniknath Dangchura in Tehri Garhwal district; one each in Deeba and Lansdowne of Pauri Garhwal; two in Gangolihat and one each in Nainital’s South Jaulasal, Bageswar’s Dharamgarh, and Rudraprayag.Â
Since November 1 last year, the MODIS sensor has recorded as many as 1368 fires in Uttarakhand, including 789 detected between April 1 and April 30, 2024, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI).
Rain brings relief
Light rainfall in Nainital and Almora has pacified the blaze raging in the Kumaon region. Pauri Garhwal district, where two large fires are burning, has also received rainfall.Â
Officials maintain that no new major fire was reported in the state since Monday evening.
Forest fires in Bageshwar district continue to burn but are in control, officials say.
According to the official assessment, the fires are concentrated largely in the Kumaon range.Â
Earlier, the fire in the forests of Ladiyakata and Pines area on the Nainital-Bhowali road was extinguished with the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter that was deployed on Saturday.
A Mi-17 IAF helicopter was deployed on Friday to douse the fire after it reached dangerously close to the Nainital High Court Colony and the Air Force base containing sensitive equipment.Â
A custom script has been used to achieve clear visualisation of satellite data of the active fires.
Climate changeÂ
Kumaon’s Chief Conservator of Forest Prasanna Kumar Patro has attributed the recent spike in forest fire incidents to increased dryness due to heat waves in the lower areas of Champawat and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand bordering Nepal, as per news agency PTI.Â
Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Environment) Kapil Kumar Joshi said, “Adverse climatic conditions such as humidity levels, prolonged dry spells, high temperatures, wind direction and timing of rainfall contribute to forest fires. The changing climate conditions over the years have aggravated the adverse conditions.”
Forest department personnel are going from village to village in the hills to raise awareness about forest fires, Garhwal DFO Anirudh Swapnil told reporters in Pauri.
Loudspeakers are being used to spread the messages. People are being asked to report any forest blaze immediately to the authorities and not to burn garbage in the open or carelessly throw burning cigarette butts or bidis in the forest areas, Swapnil said.
People are also being asked to report to the authorities if they catch someone setting a fire in the forests, he said, adding that any person reporting such a violation will be rewarded by the forest department.
Legal action under the Forest Act 1927 will be taken against anyone caught setting fire to the jungles, he added.
Burning forests in order to obtain fresh grass for their cattle is a widely prevalent practice in the hills of Uttarakhand.