Why fire accidents are unabated in Jammu and Kashmir?

There have been 58 forest fires in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two weeks. Experts believe that the main reason may be constant dry weather.

By Ground report 12 Apr 2022

New Update

Why fire accidents are unabated in Jammu and Kashmir?

There have been 58 forest fires in Jammu and Kashmir in the past two weeks. According to the report of Kashmir based News agency Kashmir News Observer (KNO), 50 fires were reported in Jammu alone and the remaining eight in Kashmir.

Fire accidents in Jammu and Kashmir

Experts believe that the main reason may be constant dry weather.

J&K chief wildlife conservationist Suresh Kumar Gupta said they had not identified any serious damage from the fire.

Forest fires are a natural phenomenon and can occur anywhere in the world. "Sometimes it can be caused by a small fire, sometimes farmers burn the grass to get new grass for cattle, and the fire starts to spread, and there are many causes of the fire," he said.

He said the agency was trying to control the fire by setting up fire lines and gaps to prevent the fire from spreading.

Kumar said countries such as Australia, Canada, the United States or Russia use helicopters to put out forest fires. "But we do not see forest fires of this level. Wherever we find such incidents, our team comes and stops the fire with the help of nearby residents. "

He called on people living near forests to work with their fire department.

Meanwhile, Sonam Lotus, director of the Srinagar Meteorological Center, told KNO that “there was a long dry weather at J&K in March-April this year. As a result, we notice higher rates than in recent years. Prolonged drought is a favorable condition for forest fires.

50% area highly vulnerable to fires

More than 50% of the total forest area in 6,646 sections throughout the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir is covered by areas of high and medium vulnerability to forest fires, and if a detailed action plan is not prepared immediately, the damage cannot be minimized.

With this in mind, the lieutenant governor instructed the Forest Department to plan the scientific management of green cover.

Impressive discoveries about the vulnerability of forests to fires were made in the study "Forest Fire: Risk and Vulnerability Assessment" conducted by the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing.

According to the study, 2,930 forest sections cover 9490. 15 square kilometers have a medium vulnerability to fires, while 1,514 compartments cover 4,636. 47 square kilometers have a low fire vulnerability.

1,184 areas of forest, covering an area of 9,457.04 square kilometers, are unlikely to be vulnerable to fires.

The study was based on various factors that cause forest fires, such as fuel, wind speed, slope, aspect, proximity to roads, proximity to infrastructure and environmental conditions. The study attempted to model forest fire risk areas based on various indicators provided for in the National National Action Plan on Forest Fire (NAPFF).

In case of fire:

Keep calm.
Call the Fire Department.
If it is a small fire, try to extinguish it with the appropriate type of extinguisher or by other means. Don't compromise your personal safety.
Don't let fire come between you and the exit.
Disconnect electrical equipment if it is on fire and if it would not be dangerous to do so.
Notify your supervisor and the evacuation coordinator if possible.
Evacuate the facility if you cannot extinguish the fire. Help disabled people.
Don't break the windows.
Do not open doors that are hot (before opening a door touch the knob. If it is hot or there is visible smoke, do not open it)
Don't use the elevators.
Do not try to save your personal belongings.
Go immediately to the meeting point.
Do not return to the affected area until authorized by the authorities in charge.
Don't spread rumours.

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