Why Uttarakhand is prone to forest fire | Explained

The story so far: A massive forest fire is sweeping through the forests surrounding Nainital in Uttarakhand. It has been burning for 60 hours, leading to the deployment of Indian Air Force personnel and Mi-17 choppers in an effort to quell the raging fire. The choppers are collecting water and jet-spraying the affected areas to douse the fire, in an operation termed Bambi Bucket.

The fire has reportedly gutted 108 hectares of forest. According to the daily bulletin issued by Uttarakhand’s Forest Department, 26 incidents of forest fire occurred in the State’s Kumaon region in the last 24 hours, while five incidents occurred in Garhwal region, where 33.34 hectares of forest area was affected. Two columns of the Indian Army have also been deployed in Kumaon to fight the fires.

In a statement to The Hindu, District Forest Officer (DFO) Nainital, Chandra Shekhar Joshi said that the forest fire was first reported earlier this week in the Nanda range, and later spread downwards, reaching the IAF establishment in the area.

While this is an alarming incident, and has placed Uttarakhand State officials on high alert, it is, unfortunately, not an isolated one. From November 1, 2023 till now, 575 incidents of forest fire, affecting 689.89 hectares of forest area and costing the State exchequer more than Rs. 14 lakh, have been reported in Uttarakhand.

We explore the causes of forest fire and why, in particular, Uttarakhand is susceptible to it.

What causes forest fire?

Forest fires are uncontrolled fires occurring in nature, accidental disasters which pose a challenge to forest ecosystems globally.

Three conditions must be present in order for any fire to exist: fuel, oxygen and a heat source. This is often referred to as the fire triangle. In the case of a forest, oxygen is in ample supply, and fuel is supplied in the form of dry trees, shrubs, grasses and litter - particularly in the dry, hot summer months. Dry weather, drought and dry vegetation can offer easy kindling for a fire. Strong winds further help the spread of a forest fire.

What sparks the fire though? As per a 2019 report from the Forest Research Institute, which comes under the Environment Ministry of India, 95% of forest fires are caused by humans.

Often, grazers set fire to dry grass in the hopes of encouraging the cultivation of new grass. Slash and burn and shifting cultivation also use fire. Unattended campfires, burning of waste, lit cigarette stubs as well as intentional lighting of fires with criminal intent are some other man-made causes. Natural causes included the rubbing of dry trees or bamboo, sparks set off by stones, or lightning.

Three types of forest fires may occur — ground fire, surface fire and crown fire.

Why is Uttarakhand an easy target for forest fire?

During 2003–2017, a total of 5,20,861 active forest fire events were detected in India, and according to the report of the Forest Survey of India, over 54% of the forest cover in India is exposed to occasional fire.

There are four forest-fire clusters in India- the North-Western Himalayas, North-East India, Central Ghats, and Western and Eastern Ghats. Fires in the North-Western Himalayas are attributed to the preponderance of pine trees and the accumulation of thick flammable litter. In the summer, there is a large quantity of pine needles that gathers on the forest floor, which is highly susceptible to fire.

A study published in Science of the Total Environment in July 2020, reported earlier by The Hindu, noted that the occurrence of high fire intensity at the low altitude Himalayan hilly regions may also be due to the proximity to villages, in addition to the plant species (pine trees). Villages make forests susceptible to anthropogenic activities like forest cover clearance, grazing and so on.

This study used remote sensing–based models to measure primary productivity over an area and also looked at burn indices, which help to demarcate the forest fire burn scars using satellite imagery. “The normalized burn ratio is an effective burn index commonly used to identify burnt regions in large fire zones. In normal conditions, healthy vegetation exhibits a very high reflectance in the near-infrared spectral region and considerably low reflectance in the shortwave infrared spectral region. These conditions get dismantled and reversed if a fire occurs,” explained Srikanta Sannigrahi, the first author of the paper in an email to The Hindu.

The team noted that States of northeast India, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are the most fire-prone in India.

Studies have also shown that a sharp increase in average and maximum air temperature, decline in precipitation, and change in land-use patterns have caused increasing episodes of forest fires in most Asian countries.

Of course, local community patterns are also responsible for instances of forest fire. Till April 25, Uttarakhand’s forest department registered 146 cases of ‘man-made’ fire incidents. Recently, three men were arrested and sent to jail for reportedly starting forest fires in Jakholi and Rudraprayag in Uttarakhand. Sheep herder Naresh Bhatt of Tadiyaal village of Jakholi was reportedly caught in the act while setting a fire in the forest. During interrogation, Bhatt said he started the fire to grow new grass for grazing his sheep.

How can forest fires be tackled?

Besides spreading awareness, there are certain measures that can be undertaken to reduce the incidence of forest fire.

This includes the removal of biomass through controlled or prescribed burning. Limited and controlled forest burns have been shown to be useful in promoting healthy forest growth, getting rid of undergrowth, dead trees and litter. Fresh healthy plants replace such areas. Further, once a patch of land is burned or cleared of dried biomass by a ground-fire, it is difficult for another fire to occur there. This process is usually done by taking 5.2-metre-wide fire-lines or fire-belts in forested areas to which people have access.

Other preventive steps include engaging temporary fire watchers, desilting of water sources within the forest, and having fire safety equipment at hand. Increase surveillance of forests using drones has also proved useful. Lessons can also be learnt from other parts of India. A recent article in The Hindu highlighted how community participation helped with fighting forest fires in Kerala, a region far less prone to forest fire than the Lower Himalayan region.

The government has also taken measures, including a satellite-based fire alert system introduced by the Forest Survey of India, which makes it easy for staff to find out whether there are fires inside the forest. Forest staff use methods like beating the fire with green, leafy boughs, and counter-fires. They also carry fire beaters and blowers.