Seven new ‘Pirul’ briquettes units in Uttarakhand to prevent wildfires this season

Dehradun: Seven new Pirul briquettes units will be ready before the upcoming forest fire season in Uttarakhand. The state’s forest department faces a tough task to put a check on the forest fires in the hill areas and it has worked out a plan to tackle the problem of forest fires.

The seven new pirul (dry pine needles) based units in the state will enhance the collection and use of pirul for making briquettes and palettes. The collection of pirul always helps to prevent forest fires across the state.

Five-year-plan for preventing forest fires

Meanwhile, the forest department has sent a five-year plan to the centre for preventing forest fires in the state. The centre may soon approve this plan. The country’s highest number of forest fires was recorded by the hill state as per the latest report of Forest Survey of India. Earlier, chief minister Pushkar Singh had directed the forest department to prepare a five-year-plan for preventing forest fires.

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Abundance of pine forests is a reason for forest fires

The abundance of pine forests is the main reason behind the forest fires in the state’s hill areas. According to the data available with the forest department, nearly 15.25 percent of the state’s total forest cover under the control of the forest department is pine forest. Thus, the forest department has given its special focus on the collection of pirul (pine tree leaves) which will be used to make pallets and briquettes.

SHGs helps in collections of piruls

For this purpose, the forest department is taking help from the self-help groups. Currently, the forest department pays these groups rupees 3 per Kg for collecting the pirul. The state government is likely to increase this amount. Last year, the department had collected 38299.48 quintals of pirul with the help of the self-help groups. The department paid more than Rs 1.13 crore to all such groups involved in the collection of pirul.

According to Additional Principal Chief Forest Conservator Nishant Verma, effective collection of Pirul always reduces the chances of forest fires. The department is under a plan to increase the existing number of briquettes units to 12. Seven new units will be established in Almora, Champawat, Garhwal and Narendra Nagar Forest divisions. This will also generate opportunities for employment at the local level.