1203 acres forest of Billion Tree Project came under fires and burned
FAQIR HUSSAIN
PESHAWAR:
Uncontrolled wildfire incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have destroyed 17095 acres of forests in the last 20 days.
According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest, Environment and Wildlife Department updated report on the forest fire incidents that a total of 283 cases of forest fires have been reported in the province from 23 May till 13 June 2022.
More than 1203 acres of forest falls under the Billion Tree Project in different forest regions came under fires and burned, the report noted.
According to the report, 271 acres area of Billion Tree Projects in Region One, 831 acres area in Region 2 Hazara and 101 acres area of Billion Tree Projects in Region 3 Malakand have been affected by the fire incidents.
It is important to note that the recently erupted fires in the province’s Billion Tree projects in Hazara region were mostly affected.
Forest fires incidents have affected 2398 acres of reserved forest, 1915 acres of protected forest, 548 acres of Guzara forest and 6088 acres of private forest.
According to the Forest Department, different types of forest fires have been reported in the province. Of these 253 cases of Ground type fire, 20 cases of Surface type and 10 cases of Crown type fire have been reported.
According to the report, 20 percent of the causes of fire in the forests were human actions, 71 per cent were unknown and 25 per cent were natural causes.
Climatic changes and deliberate actions were among the reasons that caused the wildfires in the KP’s forests, the report added.
The Forest Department KP has also sent the report to the Chief Minister KP and the Chief Secretary.
The report also included the measures taken by the provincial government to prevent such incidents in the future.
While commenting on the fire incidents, Commissioner Malakand division Shaukat Ali Yousafzai has said that wildfires in the forests have been controlled.
He said that most of the incidents took place in the areas known as private forests, adding that so far 24 suspects have been arrested in the charge of burning forests.
All Deputy Commissioners have been directed for strict monitoring of forests in the region.
Provincial minister for forest Ishtiaq Urmar has said that climate change was the main driving force behind the fire incidents in KP forests.
Mr Ishtiaq shared that quick response teams have been established in Malakand, Hazara, Kohistan, and DI Khan regions in order to prevent fire incidents in the forests.
