SDC foundation releases its monthly report
PrashantNews
A NASA study has revealed that Uttarakhand witnessed 6295 incidents of forest fires in March and April this year, an exponential increase as compared to the last year, according to Dehradun-based environmental action and advocacy group, Social Development for Communities (SDC) Foundation.
There were 1850 incidents of fire in the forests of Uttarakhand in the months of March and April in 2023, the SDC said in its monthly report released on Thursday.
The report also gives district-wise details of forest fire incidents in the months of March and April last year and this year.
According to the report, there were 299 incidents of forest fire in Almora district in these two months last year while there were 909 incidents in April and May 2024. In other hill districts in the Kumaon Region, in Bageshwar 75 last year and 224 this year, in Champawat 120 in 2023 and 1025 in 2024 and 213 in Pithoragarh last year and 615 this year have been reported in the similar time period. Similarly, in the hill districts in Garhwal, 31 in Rudraprayag last year in March and April in 2023 and 117 this year, 115 in Tehri last year and 380 this year, in Uttarkashi 40 incidents last year and 89 this year, in Chamoli 99 last year and 293 this year and in Pauri 378 last year and 742 this year have been reported in the similar time period.
The largely plain districts of Uttarakhand like Dehradun reported 48 fire incidents last year in March and April in 2023 and 62 this year, 42 in Haridwar last year and 25 this year, 207 in Nainital last year and 1524 this year and in Udham Singh Nagar there were 183 incidents last year and 290 this year have been reported in the similar time period.
The SDC foundation has released its 19th monthly disaster, extreme weather events & accident report titled Uttarakhand Disaster & Accident Analysis Initiative (UDAAI) till date for April 2024. The April 2024 report mainly focuses on forest fires in Uttarakhand.
Based on various reports published in the media regarding forest fires, it has been said that the incidents of forest fires have increased 3 times this year as compared to last year.
The UDAAI April report also included ISRO’s claim about the spread of hundreds of glacial lakes in the Himalayas. According to the report, incidents like glacial lake bursts and resulting glacial lake outburst floods are increasing in the Himalayas.
Long-term satellite imagery covering the Himalayas revealed that out of 2,431 glacial lakes larger than 10 hectares in area identified in 2016/2017, 676 glacial lakes have expanded significantly since 1984. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) said that of these 676 lakes , 130 are within India, of which 65, seven, and 58 lakes are located in the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra river basins, respectively.
The report says that there is a danger of such lakes bursting, which can cause devastation due to floods in low-lying areas. According to the report, research conducted around the world has shown that glaciers across the world are continuously retreating and thinning.
The death of eight people, including seven Nepali workers, in the Betalghat area of Nainital district has been recorded in the UDAAI report. This incident took place on the night of April 8 in which the passenger vehicle fell into a 150 meter deep gorge. Two other people were injured in this incident.
The injured were taken to Community Health Center Betalghat. From there he was referred to a higher centre. Anish Ahmed, in-charge of Betalghat police station, said, as soon as the information was received, the police reached the spot and conducted a rescue operation with the help of nearby villagers. Due to darkness, it took two hours to remove the bodies of the dead and injured.
SDC foundation head Anoop Nautiyal emphasized the urgent need to strengthen Uttarakhand’s weak disaster management system and climate action frameworks. He expressed hope that the monthly documentation of the Uttarakhand UDAAI monthly reports could be helpful for the state’s policymakers and other stakeholders.