Dry weather, a major cause for forest fires in J&K

Admin issues advisory

Srinagar May 23: Kashmir has been witnessing over 300 forest fires annually predominantly due to dry and heat weather conditions.
Jammu and Kashmir has been witnessing heat wave with the Meteorological Department anticipating further rise in temperature over the next one week.

In the wake of the prevailing heat wave, the Disaster Management Authority (DMA) on Thursday issued an advisory, saying extreme fire is likely to occur over forest areas during the next seven days.
“Extreme forest fire risk is likely to occur over forest areas in next seven days. People are requested to report the incident ( if any ) on 112 for prompt response.  Dial 112 for any help,” the JKDMA said.
At the same time, Kashmir witnesses over 300 forest fires annually.
An official document says the natural causes of forest fires are reported to be less than 5% of the total number of fires caused in a year while 95 percent are man made that could be prevented by preventive measures by the government and the people alike.
“The natural causes normally start forest fires by lightning. These fires are normally rare. Even in the country the natural causes are reported to be less than five percent of the total number of fires caused in a year. The most common cause of forest fire is man-made which can be either because of carelessness or deliberate and intentional,” the document reads
The forests in Kashmir region mostly fall in dry temperate class. These forests are predominantly having conifers comprising Deodar, Kail and Fir. These forests are not normally vulnerable to forest fires as they are predominately having evergreen species and lush green ground cover.
A senior official of the Forest Department suggested the government should take some measures to prevent man made forest fires in Jammu and Kashmir.
“There needs to be connectivity by  providing wireless sets / cell phones, mobility facilities (some pickup Vans) and proper gear for the staff to save themselves from any injury while extinguishing fires, first aid kits for emergencies and tools for carrying out the fire control operations,” the official said.
The official said that artificial boundaries are demarcated around forest land at several places in the Union Territory.