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| Soaring mercury takes toll of forest wealth, worries for agri sector as monsoon delayed | | | SALMAN NIZAMI/CHAMAN KAUL
Jammu, June 23: With mercury soaring to seasons all time high in Jammu at 44.3 degrees, massive forest fires broke out in adjoining areas reducing the jungles to ashes even as worries are looming over the agriculture sector in view of no rains and delayed monsoons.
Massive forest wealth has been reduced to ashes in a devastating fire that broke out in Bathindi – Barmini and Kalidhar- Akhnoor range of Jammu causing damage to the region’s ecology. Sources said the major fire which started at 10 AM has engulfed Bathandi forest area and spread across a radius of 6 kilometers near Barmini destroyed large number of green trees in the region.
The fire, which continued for past 12 hours, has not only destroyed large number of trees but is also posed a serious safety concern for the nomadic tribes living near the forest.
Similarly the fire that raged from Akhnoor at 4 PM spread instantly up to Kalidhar range due to winds has resulted in damage to about hundreds of trees and cattle. Fire tenders are stationed in the area where fire broke out. Forest Protection Force and fire fighters are trying to control the fire. But despite their best efforts, at Aknoor region the fire brigade has not been able to control the fire from spreading further. Unavailability of water is a major handicap in controlling the fire.
Range officers, Anwar Shah (Kalidhar Range) and Sher Mohammad (Bahu Range) said that Forest Protection Force and fire fighters have been pressed into service to douse the fire. They said efforts are on to prevent the fire from spreading and extinguish it with the help of locals “We are trying our best to control the fire but winds are hampering our efforts,” Shah said. The fire has also led to a rise in the temperature of the region around the forest cover.
Meanwhile, agriculture sectors waiting eagerly for the last several days for the showers, find themselves in dilemma by day to day increase in temperature resulting in scorching hat wave in the state as well as in northern India. “Agriculture production and productivity has been hit badly as last time showers did prove enough for germination and now farmers and agriculturalists are eagerly waiting for showers to start germination on moisturized lands, said director agriculture Vinod Bala and added that if showers due to local weather interference occur in a day or two could be helpful.
Not only had this but unprecedented forest fires which occur due to scorching heat and dryness evolved out of uninterrupted rise in mercury. Official sources informed that 49 incidents have been occurred in Jammu and Samba districts for the last couple of weeks. With the fires near about 55 hectare of forest land had been lost. Bathandi forests caught fires due to dryness as for the last about six years no rains occurred in the area, sources revealed. Crunch of financial constrains adds fuel to fire as only Rs. 20000 against annual budget of Rs. 15 lakhs has been sanctioned to the department to take control over the forest fires. Department, however, has established a fire fighting cell and also engaged 45 IWDP personals besides calling of army personals at Kalidhar and employed fire bridge 25 times while fighting fire in limited resources in addition to the efforts made by villagers several times, informed sources.
Earlier, India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that monsoon will hit Jammu and Kashmir in late June but untimely hitting of El Nina to west Bengal coast which started at about 120 Kms per hour from sea level and reached to earth at merely at about 80 Kms per hour resulting in delay of scheduled monsoon. However, experts in meteorological department and scientists of Jammu and Kashmir are now of the view that monsoon will hit the state any time in the first week of July. But according to the previous records monsoon usually starts in early June in Southern coasts and reaches the state of Jammu and Kashmir in the month of July. Monsoon according to IMD has yet hit southern areas which are cause of concern to government as well as entire public.
“Jammu and Kashmir some times gets showers equal to negligible by local weather impact and the good news is that monsoon waves have activated once again and if the situation remains the same monsoon will hit Jammu and Kashmir from July 7th to July 10th”, said scientist and meteorologist Dr. M. K Khushoo.
Proving its superiority over speculations nature has played active party this time for delaying scheduled monsoon, causing miseries to humane, animals, birds, agriculture, horticulture and floriculture. Monsoon comes earlier, later and some time in time according to forecasters and predictors but all species have become dependent of nature’s gift of unprecedented rains during the season of monsoon.
“When we say we are Hindus, we are not referring to a particular religion, we are referring to loyalty to a nation, which embraces one and all irrespective of the fact what language they speak or which mode of worship they practice” RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat
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