“The population has gone up. Many government accommodations have come up in the forests after unrestricted cutting of trees. Vehicular traffic has also gone up, leading to pollution. Tourism infrastructure is crumbling,” Hemendra Bartwal said.
Photo: SNS
Around one hectare of forest cover has been destroyed over a 97-day period in Uttarakhand, in this fire season till the last week of May, 2026, a report by Dainik Jagran pointed out.
Hemendra Bartwal, a political analyst and journalist, who has his ancestral house in Uttarakhand’s Pouri town that comes under the Pouri Garhwal district, lamented that every year forest fires play havoc with pollution and tourism.
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Bartwal mentioned in an interview with The Statesman that during his childhood days forest fires were very rare and never reached his house, which is very close to the forest. But in the last 10-15 years, these fires have gone up manifold, he said, which is altering the overall climate of the area.
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“The population has gone up. Many government accommodations have come up in the forests after unrestricted cutting of trees. Vehicular traffic has also gone up, leading to pollution. Tourism infrastructure is crumbling,” he said.
“The dry grass forms a carpet on the ground and is unsuitable for the livestock. This carpet also restricts further growth of fresh grass, which is why villagers burn the dry grass. After rains, fresh grass grows, which helps them feed their livestock,” Bartwal explained.
The veteran journalist shared that the government has tried to explain to the villagers not to light fires and also offered them with incentives but it has not worked.
“The timber mafia has its own agenda. Since cutting trees in the hills is a crime, the mafia encourages burning of grass. When the grass burns, the pine tree roots and its base also gets burnt to a certain extent. The trees become weak and fall. Then the forest department auctions these trees, helping the timber mafia,” Bartwal added.
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