The 2016 Uttarakhand forest fires were a series of widespread, damaging wildfires that took place in Uttarakhand, India between April and May. The fires were caused by a heatwave that spread across Uttarakhand and were the worst recorded in the region with a reported of forest burnt down and seven people dead.
Officials detected nearly 1,600 total fires which were brought under control by 2 May, and as rain fell the following day, it reduced the impact of the wildfires. An initial report on 4 May noted that had been destroyed by the fire.
History and causes
Forest fires caused by humans in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand have been a regular event. Since the formation of the state in 2000, more than of forest land has been lost to fire.
Some fires during 1921, 1930, and 1942 have been associated with popular movements against the then British government's forestry policies and as a call for independence. Most of these fires occur in the chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) zone which is prone to fire.
But the pine itself is resistant to the fire. Instead of harming them, these fires help in their regeneration by reducing coverage of broad-leaf trees, which leads to an increase in the land covered by chir pine and oak. The broad-leaved forest is dominated by oak species, including Banj oak (Quercus leucotrichophora). Resin is harvested from these pines, and fires are often intentionally set to remove the carpet of pine needles that come in the way of harvesting activity. In June 1981, a blanket ban was introduced against the felling of standing trees 1000 meters above sea level, a ban that prohibits the removal of pine trees in the areas where they are invading. Apart from accidental fires, several causes and motivations for setting fires have been noted which include encroachment on forest lands and concealing illegal timber extraction. Major illicit timber trade relies on pine forests since it is often used for construction.
A major cause for the fires was attributed to the record high temperatures and severe lack of rainfall due to a dry winter. The Uttarakhand forest fires had also come as India suffered one of its worst droughts in years with the government noting over 330 million were affected by water shortages.
Early 2016 events and controversy
The forest fires began on February 2, 2016, and went initially unnoticed for several weeks, while Parliament was in a state of outrage over the presidential rule which had been imposed on Uttarakhand
Consequently, these fires went largely unchecked and spread from the pine forests on the slopes of the sub-Himalayan region to the oak and broadleaf forests which resulted in heavy clouds of smoke that changed the usually blue skies to grey. This smoke affected tourism within the state and fearing bad publicity, the locals did not report the fires.
The conservationist Ela Smetacek started a public awareness campaign to highlight the damage from the fires calling on the Indian government to address the issue. Her Facebook post was shared over 58,000 times as it showed the entire hillsides ablaze with walls of flames engulfing even the tallest trees.
The campaign gathered widespread support from social media users and Indian media which led to a series of claims and counter-claims between the environment minister, the conservationist, and other activists ensued, as Smetacek blamed the timber and builder mafia for the purposely-lit fires, stating that 1,300 fires could be seen from satellite pictures and that an arson attack across the state was evident. The post demanding the fires be recognized as a national emergency, and the need of immediate deployment of NDRF teams, led to the government taking action, deploying the National Disaster Response Force and making use of Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopters fitted with "Bambi buckets" to douse the fires with water.