NGT directs Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh to submit guidelines on forest fire

•  The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh governments to submit the national forest fire prevention and control guidelines.
• The court has also asked both the state governments to inform it about the total number of forest fires till date starting from 2016.
• The tribunal had earlier directed the states to submit crisis management plan for prevention and control of forest fires to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
• In Himachal and Uttarakhand, over 17,502 acres have been ravaged this year due to forest fires — a rise of over 171 per cent.
• Accumulated Chir pine needles — which are inflammable due to their high-resin content — are believed to be a “prominent factor in occurring and spreading of forest fires”.

Analysis:

• In this summer, the pine forests of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh caught fire. Over 4,500 hectares was affected in Himachal Pradesh, some 40% more than the 3,185 hectares in Uttarakhand.
• By May 2016, the fire had damaged around 3500 hectares of land and claimed at least seven human lives apart from loss of fauna and flora. Uttarakhand is known for human induced forest fires since long time.
• Forest fires cause serious health hazards by producing smoke and noxious gases such as Carbon Dioxide, Carbon monoxide, methane, hydrocarbons, nitric oxide and nitrous oxide that lead to serious consequences for local climate.
• Forest fire leads to loss of timber, bio-diversity, loss of wildlife habitat, global warming, soil erosion, loss of fuel wood and fodder, damage to water and other natural resources, loss of natural regeneration
• Forest fire also leads to changes in microclimate of the region in the form of soil moisture balance and increased evaporation. The dense smoke from the fires affected visibility.

By: Vishal