Uttarakhand forest fires: Centre deploys helicopters to douse flames

Mangalore Today/ PTI

New Delhi, May 01, 2016: The Centre has deployed two Mi-17 helicopters to douse the forest blaze in Uttarakhand. More than 1,900 hectares of forest land have been affected by the fire in the Kumaoun and Garwal region.

"Two helicopters were sent by the Indian Air Force. One has been sent in Gorakhal Sainik School and another one in Pouri, Srinagar. The speciality of the helicopter is it can take 5,000 litre of water from any source of water, be it pond or river and can drop it anywhere," Wing Commander VK Singh, operation in-charge, Airforce told ANI.

 

"Our mission is to carry water from Bhimtal to places where fire is burning. There is a huge area covering the flames. We will maintain a distance of 100 metre from the fire to douse the flames," he added.

Meanwhile, the Director of Delhi’s Fire Department is scheduled to visit Uttarakhand today to extend his support to douse down the fire which has destroyed around 1,900 hectares of forests in the hill state.

The fire raged on Saturday, even as three teams of National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed in Almora, Gauchar and Pauri and one team of the State Disaster Response Fund in Nainital to extinguish the flames.

Two Air Force helicopters have been rushed into service to fight the fire in Pauri and Nanital districts.

Forest areas of Almora, Chamoli, Pouri, Rudra Prayag and Pithora districts have been badly affected by the fire.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh spoke to Governor KK Paul on Saturday and assured him of providing all necessary assistance to control the fire. Governor K K Paul reviewed the rescue efforts underway via videoconferencing with officials in the field and asked them to speed up their efforts.

The casualties due to forest fires, which have spread to sparsely populated remote hill areas, have risen to six with another life claimed in Nainital district on Friday evening. The deceased include three women and a child.

Since the beginning of forest fire incidents in the state in early February this year, 922 incidents have occurred so far killing six people including three women and a child and blighting nearly 2,000 hectares of green cover.