Read Editorial with D2G – Ep CXXXIV

In Read Editorial With D2G
May 4, 2016

TINDERBOX IN THE HIMALAYAS

READ BEFORE YOU PROCEED:
 D2G wears no responsibility of the views published here by the respective Author. This Editorial is used here for Study Purpose. Students are advised to learn the word-meaning, The Art of Writing Skills and understand the crux of this Editorial.

MEANINGS are given in BOLD and ITALIC

The full extent and impact of the forest fires in Uttarakhand can be assessed only after they have abated (If something bad or undesirable abates, it becomes much less strong or severe – रोक-थाम करना) with better weather conditions, but the furious blaze (When a fire blazes, it burns strongly and brightly – ज्वाला) that has swept the hill State drives home the truth that governments are yet to find scientific ways to tackle the phenomenon. This Western Himalayan region, with its mix of colourful forests, including moist deciduous (A deciduous tree or bush is one that loses its leaves in the autumn every year – पतनशील), tropical dry deciduous, temperate (Temperate is used to describe a climate or a place which is never extremely hot or extremely cold – नरम) and sub-Alpine types, turns into a tinderbox (If you say that a situation is a tinderbox, you mean that it is very tense and something dangerous or unpleasant is likely to happen very soon – विस्फोटक स्थिति वाला स्थान) during severe dry seasons.

It is striking that whatever little research has gone into the fires in this area points to accidental or intentional involvement of people in starting the blaze, most frequently in the chir pine forests. Setting the vegetation afire in some forests helps produce richer grazing lands by bringing about better botanical diversity on the ground, and a large number of incidents are caused by those in search of fodder (Fodder is food that is given to cows, horses, and other animals – चारा). The fires have been most numerous in the Garhwal and Kumaon regions, with conflicting reports on the death toll. Disaster response was, by all evidence, slow in coming. The Centre, which bears responsibility for administration as the State is under President’s Rule, got into the act only after the inferno (If you refer to a fire as an inferno, you mean that it is burning fiercely and causing great destruction – नरक) had spread alarmingly. The decision to deploy a few Air Force helicopters could not have achieved much, since a couple of thousand hectares had to be covered. Fortunately, incidents of fresh fires now seem to be on the decline.

It is ironical that the spectacular Himalayan forest region, known worldwide thanks to the campaign waged by activists such as Sunderlal Bahuguna to save trees, should face such an annual scourge. It is possible that the changing patterns of climate may be exacerbating the problem; more research is required to conclude whether the El Niño that set in last year, marked by a lack of pre-monsoon showers, also played a part in intensifying the fires. The Uttarakhand government should learn from the severity of the experience, and involve its large rural communities in preparing for the future. Some of the studies reported by organisations affiliated to the Union Environment Ministry point to the effective intervention of community-led ‘van panchayats’ (forest councils) in preventing fires.

Progress can be made also by providing environmental education to local residents and officials. Significantly, the use of biomass alternatives, including cooking gas, has had a beneficial impact on fire risk, and this must be expanded. Equally, the clearing of ecologically important natural oak forests can be reduced by tapping the plantation sector, which could give preference to growing useful fodder and timber trees. Saving what remains of old forests that were mostly cleared during British rule to produce railway sleepers and to feed cantonments, and stopping further spread of pine trees planted over several decades for narrow economic reasons, are crucial for the health of the Western Himalayas. The imperative (If it is imperative that something is done, that thing is extremely important and must be done – अनिवार्य) is to stop the havoc wrought by man-made fires, and compensate those affected.

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