07-05-2024, Tues.
The woodland fire in the Pauri Garhwal area of Uttarakhand has unfortunately killed a 65-year-elderly person who supported consume wounds while attempting to splash the fire close to her homestead in a town in Pauri tehsil
She later passed away at AIIMS Rishikesh where she was undergoing treatment. This incident is part of a larger crisis of raging wildfires in Uttarakhand, which have resulted in multiple casualties and significant destruction of forest land. The recent wildfires have led to a total of five deaths in the last three days, with victims including a 28-year-old Nepalese woman, her husband, two others, and the 65-year-old woman in Pauri Garhwal and Almora districts.
wildfires have not only claimed lives but have also ravaged vast areas of forest land, with approximately 1,144 hectares scorched in the past six months. The smoke and haze from the fires have triggered health issues among residents, particularly affecting children and the elderly, causing respiratory problems and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression. The ecological impact is a growing concern, with fears of increased landslides due to the loss of vegetation.
Efforts to combat the fires have been challenging, with the Indian Air Force deploying helicopters to aid firefighting operations in severely affected areas like Pauri Garhwal. The Director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun has hinted at a possibility of rain from May 7-8, which is expected to intensify from May 11, offering hope for extinguishing the fires.
However, the situation remains critical, with forest fires continuing to pose a significant threat to both lives and the environment in Uttarakhand.
The forest fires in Uttarakhand underscore the urgent need for coordinated efforts to prevent such disasters, protect forest resources, and ensure the safety of residents in the region.
