Intense rains quench Uttarakhand’s wildfire frenzy; Supreme Court tells state govt. to stop relying on rain god

Wednesday (May 8) saw Uttarakhand experience its first significant rain spell of the year. Reports of cloudbursts surfaced from Almora and Bageshwar, while Uttarkashi witnessed hailstorms. Despite causing minor damage and inconvenience, the rain provided a silver lining for the state's forests.

The intense showers reportedly led to road blockages, water entering homes and crop damage in various areas, with farmers in Pithoragarh seeking compensation for hailstorm-related losses. However, the rainfall proved beneficial for forested areas in the Kumaon region, particularly Almora district, where it helped extinguish forest fires.

Forest fires are a common occurrence during Uttarakhand's summers, exacerbated by the presence of highly flammable pine trees covering vast expanses of the region. Since November last year, the state has reported 398 forest fires, which killed at least five people and damaged over a thousand hectares of forest cover.

In response to the persistent issue, the Supreme Court has urged the Uttarakhand government to implement robust preventive measures.

Relying on rain god not enough, SC warns Uttarakhand govt

During a recent hearing on the matter on Wednesday, the Supreme Court told the state that cloud seeding or "depending on rain god" is not the answer to the raging forest fires issue in Uttarakhand. Instead, it urged the authorities to take preventive measures to tackle the problem.

Deputy Advocate General of Uttarakhand Jatinder Kumar Sethi apprised the apex court about the efforts taken by the state to control forest fires thus far. He said that 0.1 per cent of the wildlife cover in the state was on fire, highlighting that all incidents were man-made. A total of 350 criminal cases have been lodged, with 62 suspects identified and criminal cases filed, he added.

However, the lawyers that filed the application for impleadment in the matter raised concerns about the government's preparedness and allocation of resources, with reports suggesting inefficiencies in fire management.

The court has posted the matter for further hearing on May 15 to delve deeper into the matter and address the concerns raised.