ALMORA: The latest Almora forest division data reveals that the district lost 822.7 hectares of green cover due to forest fires this year. The state exchequer suffered a loss of Rs 22.8 lakh due to the damage. This, according to the data, is the highest wildlife damage recorded in the district in the last 10 years.
Kuber Singh Bisht, in-charge, conservator of forests, north Kumaon circle, Uttarakhand, said, “The department is continuously making efforts to prevent the incidents of forest fires. Simultaneously, we are collaborating with forest panchayats to control such incidents. Lack of awareness among the people is one of the main reasons for the increase in wildfire incidents.”
Last year, the district lost 490 hectares of forest cover in 214 wildfire incidents. Earlier, in 2019, Almora had lost 602.5 hectares in 257 forest fire incidents, causing a loss of Rs 13.4 lakh to the state exchequer.
