Second-worst in 16 yrs, fires destroy 2,521ha forest cover in Uttarakhand
- Vineet Upadhyay
- TNNUpdated: Jun 17, 2019, 13:49 IST IST
Large swathes of jungles devoured, but top officials have no authority, innovations have failed and infrastructure remains woefully inadequate
NAINITAL: Vinod Chand, 38, prayed as the flaming orange glow from a nearby forest inched closer. This was the third time this summer that the jungle near his village of Suryagaon, 30km from Nainital town, was on fire. Soon, worried groups of residents were knocking on Chand’s door, armed with shovels and containers in a frantic attempt to tackle the blaze. Several hours later, they had managed to keep the inferno from heading in the direction of their houses.
“No food was cooked in many houses that day. Firewood was scarce. Not everyone has an LPG cylinder here,” Chand told TOI as he recalled the incident from last week.
“No food was cooked in many houses that day. Firewood was scarce. Not everyone has an LPG cylinder here,” Chand told TOI as he recalled the incident from last week.
