Effective Control of Forest Fire in Uttarakhand | 31 Jan 2025

Why in News? 

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed the Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) to take immediate action against forest fires in highly sensitive districts.     

Key Points 

  • Appointment of Nodal Officers for Fire Control: 
    • 10 senior Forest Department officers appointed as district-level nodal officers. 
    • Their role is to coordinate resources and departments at the district level for better fire management. 
      • Efforts will focus on strengthening management, control, monitoring, cooperation, and coordination at the district level. 
  • Pre-Fire Season Preparations: 
    • The Uttarakhand Forest Department issued an office order to appoint nodal officers before the season in which forest fires commonly occur. 
    • Nodal officers will review fire management preparations and district-level control measures.        
  • Community Participation in Fire Control: 
    • Along with this, to increase community participation in forest fire control and management, the Forest Department of Uttarakhand has been conducting research on-field personnel, State Environmental Authority (SEA) and the Forest Fire Management Committees to replicate the 'Sheetalakhet' model in all the divisions of the state under the Almora Forest Division.  
    • The ‘Sheetalakhet’ model, developed under Almora Forest Division, is being replicated across all state divisions. 

Forest Fire 

  • Forest fire is also called as bush or vegetation fire or wildfire, it can be described as any uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural setting such as a forest, grassland, brushland or tundra, which consumes the natural fuels and spreads based on environmental conditions (e.g., wind, topography). 
  • A wildfire requires three essential elements to sustain combustion like Fuel, Oxygen, and a Heat source.