Forest fires sweep across north India

There were dozens of fires burning on Monday, spreading unpredictably and threatening two major tiger reserves – Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park

LUCKNOW, INDIA // Massive forest fires that have killed at least seven people in recent weeks were sweeping across the north Indian state of Uttarakhand on Monday, threatening two tiger reserves.

With dense black smoke billowing in the skies for kilometres, authorities were urging villagers to be on alert and tourists to avoid travelling to the Himalayan foothills, popular during the summer for their cooler temperatures.

Dozens of fires were spreading in the states of Uttarakhand and neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, officials said.

“We are struggling to bring the situation under control,” said Bhanu Prasad Gupta, a forest officer in the state of Uttarakhand.

After state firefighters were unable for months to put the fires out, the Indian government sent air force helicopters over the weekend to drop water on the blazes covering nearly 23 square kilometres of pine forests.

Once an area was soaked from above, groups of villagers fanned out into the steaming jungle forests and used green-leafed branches to beat out the embers still glowing on the ground.

But the thick smoke and remote, mountainous terrain were making the job difficult for some 9,000 firefighters, army soldiers and forest guards deployed to battle the flames, Mr Gupta said. Nearby villages were asked to stay on alert, but none has yet been asked to leave their homes.

Authorities set up 84 monitoring centres to receive calls reporting new fire outbreaks.

Hundreds of tourists have abandoned plans to visit the popular hill towns of Ranikhet, Almora and Pauri after smoke reduced visibility on steep mountainous roads. During the scorching summer, hill resorts of Uttarakhand are a favourite weekend getaway for people in New Delhi, just 400 kilometres to the south.

While forest fires are not uncommon in the dense forests of the Himalayan foothills, there were more fires than usual this year, and they were unusually intense, according to forest department official Ujjawal Kishan.

The fires began early in February, after a particularly dry winter and two years of poor monsoon rains, and raged out of control last week as summer temperatures soared.

In total, 13 districts of Uttarakhand have been affected, along with six districts in Himachal Pradesh.

The fires were likely worsening the already-high air pollution over northern India, while also destroying forest ecosystems and affecting nesting birds and other animals.

“This is the breeding season of many avian species,” wildlife official Ramesh Unnwal said. “The fire has destroyed their eggs.”

More than 530 hectares of protected forest land had been destroyed in the Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park tiger reserves, but officials reported no evidence so far of any tiger deaths.

Officials in the state say they were not sure what sparked the fires.

Scientists say climate change brings warmer temperatures that dry up forests and exacerbate drought. The aftermath of the El Nino climate pattern has exacerbated drought conditions and could still weaken this year’s monsoon, expected to begin in June.

Meanwhile, authorities detained four men for questioning on suspicion they started some fires to clear land for real estate development.

Indian environment minister Prakash Javdekar said, however, that even burnt forest land would be left to regenerate and not be diverted to any other purpose.

“Not a single inch of forest land will be allowed to be encroached or diverted by anybody,” Mr Javdekar said.

* Associated Press