Wildfires rage for fifth day in Uttarakhand's UNESCO heritage site
Wildfires continue to burn fiercely in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve for the fifth consecutive day. This UNESCO World Heritage site in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district faces a challenging firefighting situation due to its rugged terrain.
Officials struggle to assess damage
Chief conservator of forests Sushant Patnaik, the state nodal officer for forest fires, stated that assessing the actual impact remains difficult. "We can only determine the full extent of damage after conducting a proper survey," he explained. Officials plan to arrange an aerial survey on Wednesday through the National Disaster Management Authority.
Terrain challenges hamper operations
Chamoli divisional forest officer Sarvesh Dubey highlighted the extreme difficulties faced by ground teams. "The areas are completely inaccessible due to steep, vertical rocky terrain," he said in a letter to district authorities. Dubey cited multiple obstacles including dry conditions, heavy fuel load, humus, leaf litter, frost, safety hazards, and continuous rockfall.
Frontline forest teams made several attempts to reach the affected areas but found their operations severely hampered by the challenging geography and climate conditions. The fire is burning at elevations between 12,000 and 13,000 feet, where strong winds threaten to spread the flames further.
Aerial support becomes crucial
With ground operations proving ineffective, officials have requested helicopter support from the Indian Air Force and State Disaster Management Authority. They specifically need bambi bucket aerial firefighting equipment to combat the blaze from above.
However, inclement weather conditions prevented Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority from conducting helicopter sorties on Tuesday. This delay adds to the challenges of containing the wildfire.
Local communities join the effort
On Tuesday, some progress was made when frontline teams managed to reach parts of the reserve. They were assisted by forest fire safety committees comprising local community members who possess traditional knowledge of firefighting and terrain access.
Earlier, villagers had cited similar terrain challenges as forest officials when explaining their inability to participate in operations when the wildfires first broke out on Friday.
Multiple fire alerts across Uttarakhand
The Forest Survey of India issued six alerts for different areas of Chamoli on the day the fires began. Three of these alerts were confirmed after ground verification. Since November 1, FSI has issued at least 1,600 winter fire alerts for Uttarakhand.
After verification, the state confirmed 33 actual fire incidents, classifying the remaining alerts as heat signals. These confirmed incidents have already destroyed 15 hectares of forest land.
Uttarakhand leads in winter fire alerts
This winter, Uttarakhand recorded the highest number of fire alerts among Indian states. Maharashtra followed with 1,039 alerts, then Karnataka with 921, Madhya Pradesh with 866, and Chhattisgarh with 806 alerts.
Separately, wildfires had broken out in the Bhyunder area under the Valley of Flowers forest range a few days earlier. Forest officials managed to bring those fires under control.
Unusual winter conditions contribute
The Garhwal Himalayas have experienced unusually dry conditions this winter. For the first time in nearly four decades of recorded observations, the mountains have seen no snow cover. This dry spell has created favorable conditions for wildfires to spread.
