Forest Fire And Its Socio Enivirnmental Problem In Uttarakhad Himalayas

Abstract

When whole country is suffering from scorching heat with mercury all time high the tourist from various parts of plains rushing to hill stations of Himalayas for reliving from the heat waves but their expectations  are upsetting them because of smoky weather, haziness and unclear sky due to forest fire. Forest fires, also known as bushfires or vegetation fires, are the uncontrolled and widespread burning of plants and trees, mainly in forests. Forest fires may start due to natural and manmade reasons (Krishnan, 2022). A United Nations Environment Program report on forest fires stated that human carelessness and lightning strikes might start forest fires, but the root cause of the problem lies in human-induced climate change, inefficient forest and land management, and rapid land-use change (UNEP, 2022). However, with increasing global temperatures due to global warming, forest fires have become much more common worldwide. Warmer climates, higher temperatures, and dry landscapes help create conditions suitable for forest fires to start and persist (MacCarthy et.al 2022). Forest fires have considerable environmental and social impacts. They can impact the long-term quality of rivers, lakes, streams, and other fresh water sources. Forest fires can also severely damage soil and lead to large-scale vegetation loss depending on the time of their incidence in the year. They also have immediate and long-term effects on air quality. As trees and leaves burn, large amounts of smoke and soot are released into the air. This polluted air can travel long distances and impact human health across a large area (Nelson, 2019).