New Delhi: The Himalayan state of Uttarakhand has experienced a devastating surge in forest fires this season, surpassing all other states in the alarming number of forest fire incidents. The latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023, released in Dehradun, revealed a shocking increase from 5,351 fire counts last season to a staggering 21,033 this season, a nearly four-fold increase. This surge brings Uttarakhand from the 13th most affected state last season to the top spot this year.
Neighbouring Himachal Pradesh also suffered significantly, with over 10,136 fire counts detected, a rise from just 704 in the previous season. The data, collected using SNPP-VIIRS sensors between November 2023 and June 2024, covers India’s typical forest fire season, with the peak occurring from February 8th to June 30th.
Uttarakhand’s crisis is particularly concentrated in five districts, Nainital, Gharwal, Almora, Tehri Garhwal, and Uttarkashi, which, along with Shimla in Himachal Pradesh, feature among the nation’s 20 most affected districts. These areas experienced a dramatic escalation in fire counts, with Nainital, Gharwal, and Almora each reporting 2,800-3,300 incidents compared to just 500-900 last season. Shimla also saw a significant increase, from 199 to 1,823 incidents.
The consequences have been dire. Uttarakhand tragically lost six forest department personnel, with two suffering severe burns while fighting a massive fire in Almora’s Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary in June, the hottest June in India since 1901.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav highlighted the gravity of the situation, emphasising the urgent need for forest departments nationwide to address the escalating threat. “Forest fires are one of the biggest challenges confronting us today. All the forest departments must worry over these incidents,” he said.
Several factors contributed to this unprecedented surge. While over 11.34 per cent of India’s forest and scrub area is categorised as extremely to very highly fire-prone, including parts of Uttarakhand, climate change played a significant role. Unusually high temperatures, dry weather and delayed monsoons, along with extensive land conversion for agriculture, created highly flammable conditions, the report suggests. The year 2024 is on track to be the hottest globally, exacerbating the already precarious situation.
While most fires were surface fires, the intensity and frequency dramatically increased. The Forest Survey of India (FSI) identified 11,928 large forest fire events, causing extensive damage. While forest departments successfully contained 67 per cent of these within 24 hours, 31.3 per cent burned for 1-5 days, 1.4 per cent for 6-10 days, and a concerning 10 persisted for 11-15 days. Despite a slight overall decrease in total fire counts compared to the previous season (2.03 lakh versus 2.12 lakh), the concentration and intensity in Uttarakhand demand immediate attention and preventative measures. The ISFR 2024 also analysed fire incidents in 705 Protected Areas, recording significant numbers within national parks and sanctuaries.
This first-ever national-level assessment provides crucial data to help understand the patterns and severity of forest fires in India and lays the groundwork for future, more effective prevention and mitigation strategies. “The number of detections does not necessarily reflect the number of individual fires. Sometimes, a single fire incident may result in multiple detections as fire occurrences are reported on successive days for the same fire due to the satellite’s repeatability. Every time the satellite passes, it sends one detection. So, the total fires may be lesser in number,” Anoop Singh, Director General, FSI was quoted as saying by News18.
