The forests of Uttarakhand, Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh and Dzukou Valley in Nagaland and Manipur were in the news on account of which one of the following reasons?

The forests of Uttarakhand, Kullu Valley in Himachal Pradesh and Dzukou Valley in Nagaland and Manipur were in the news on account of which one of the following reasons? Correct Answer <span style="">Forest fire</span>

The correct answer is Forest fire.

Key Points

• Instances of Forest Fires in 2021:
  • January 2021 saw prolonged fires in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh (Kullu Valley), and the Nagaland-Manipur border (Dzukou Valley). Hence, Option 2 is correct.
  • The Simlipal National Park in Odisha saw a major fire between February-end and early March.
  • Recent fires also include those in Bandhavgarh Forest Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, and in sanctuaries for the Asiatic lion and the great Indian bustard in Gujarat.

Important Points

• Forest Fires:
  • Also called bush or vegetation fire or wildfire, it can be described as any uncontrolled and non-prescribed combustion or burning of plants in a natural setting such as a forest, grassland, brushland, or tundra, which consumes the natural fuels and spreads based on environmental conditions (e.g., wind, topography).
  • Forest Fires can be incited by human actions, such as land clearing, extreme drought, or in rare cases lightning.
  • There are three conditions that need to be present in order for a wildfire to burn: fuel, oxygen, and a heat source.

Additional Information

• The Total Forest and Tree cover is 24.62% of the geographical area of the country.
• The Total Forest cover is 7,13,789 sq km which is 21.71% of the geographical area of the country.
• The Tree cover is 2.91% of the geographical area of the country.