Uttarakhand receives 260 fire alerts in a day; doctors urge caution

Dehradun/Bageshwar: The Forest Survey of India on Wednesday sent at least 260 fire alerts to the Uttarakhand forest department as forest fire incidents continued to rise with the onset of summer heat and dry weather.

The alerts were sent for several districts, including Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi, Bageshwar, Nainital, Tehri, Pauri and Chamoli.Since the forest fire season began on Feb 15, the state has recorded 144 forest fires, affecting around 85 hectares. Officials said most of the damage occurred in the Garhwal region (about 69 hectares), followed by the Kumaon region (6 hectares), and areas under wildlife administration (11 hectares).In hill districts such as Bageshwar and Almora, people with existing pulmonary and eye-related conditions are reporting increased discomfort. Vijay Karki, a resident of Dhamnagar in Bageshwar, said he had to travel nearly 50km to take his mother to the district hospital due to breathing problems. Health experts said fine particulate matter in smoke can enter deep into the lungs and raise the risk of serious illness.

At the community health centre in Baijnath, Bageshwar, there has been a steady rise in patients with breathing problems and eye allergies. “Around 10 to 15 people are reporting daily with eye irritation and breathing issues,” Dr Amit Bansal said. He advised residents to use masks, as exposure to smoke can aggravate respiratory problems.State nodal officer for forest fires and disaster management Sushant Patnaik said, “These alerts are not always linked to forest fires. They can be due to stubble burning, waste burning or even false alerts. Frontline teams are acting on each alert through inter-departmental coordination.”