Sandeep Kumar IFS visited Nowshera Forest Div to monitor fire incidents.

GNS ONLINE NEWS PORTAL

SHYAM SOOD 

RAJOURI/NOWSHERA MAY 31:–In the wake of recent forest fire incidents in Forest Compartment 132/N in Nowshera Forest Division, Conservator of Forests, West Circle Rajouri, Sandeep Kumar, IFS, on Friday made a field visit to monitor the response to the recent forest fire incidents.
He was accompanied by DFO Nowshera Shweta Deonia, and Range Officer Nowshera, Anil Kumar.
During his visit, Kumar issued several instructions and strategic guidelines to the firefighting teams at the ground level with the aim to effectively deal with the threat of forest fire.
He emphasized the important role of these teams in protecting the forest and directed them to take all necessary measures to control and extinguish the fire promptly.
Sandeep Kumar appealed to all stakeholders including residents to immediately inform the Forest Department about any fire incident and assist the department during firefighting operations.
He highlighted the importance of community participation in preventing and controlling forest fires.
He also expressed concern over the increasing incidence of forest fires due to rising temperatures and underscored the importance of protecting forests for future generations.
“Forests provide significant environmental, economic and social benefits,” said Sandeep Kumar.
The visit and directives of the Conservator reflect the Forest Department’s continued commitment to preserve and protect the forest resources of the region through proactive and community-participatory fire management strategies.
As Jammu and Kashmir witness heat waves due to high temperatures, the forest fire
Ongoing heat waves due to high temperature have caused a series of forest fires in Nowshera Forest Division in Rajouri district.
On the other hand, concerned forest officials are of the view that most of the forest fires are man made and in rare cases these fires occur naturally (heatwaves).
The Forest Department has engaged ‘fire watchers’ in every block of Nowshera Forest Division to douse the fire.
Most of the forest fire incidents are ground fires and rarely convert into crown fires. It is a very difficult task to control a crown fire.
J&K Disaster Management Authority (JKDMA) recently predicted for the next few days an ‘extreme forest fire’ risk because of the ensuing heat wave over the plains.