- A prolonged dry spell and unusually high temperatures across Himachal Pradesh have triggered several wildfires.
- The government data show as many as 1,318 forest fire outbreaks this year in a state.
- The average maximum and minimum temperatures have been hovering appreciably above normal in Himachal Pradesh since May.
- The government data show that forest fires were reported in areas falling under the forest circles of Shimla, Chamba, Bilaspur, Dharamshala, Hamirpur, Kullu Mandi, Rampur, Nahan, Solan, and the Great Himalayan National Park at Shamshi in the Kullu region, affecting 12,718 hectares of land, including 2,789 hectares of plantation.
- As the forest fires rage, relief is expected as a fresh western disturbance is expected to approach the State by June 4.
- In May, the average maximum temperature was around 4 degrees Celsius above normal, while the average minimum temperature was 2 to 3 degrees Celsius above normal at many places in the State.
The state government was contemplating several steps like-
- Forming a dedicated battalion of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) specially equipped and trained for firefighting to reduce losses in forest areas.
- Strengthening of fire services in 374 forest beats that are highly vulnerable to forest fires. The a need to diversify the conifer plant regions with specific plant species to help retain moisture and reduce the number of fire outbreaks.
- To conduct a study to look into the causes of fires and recommend necessary action.
Dig Deeper: Read about the nature of conifer forests in sustaining forest fires in the Himalayan belt.
