To prevent forest fire, the Uttarakhand government is working on the ‘Pirul Lao-Paise Pao’ (bring pine leaves and get money) mission.
- Under this mission, Pirul will be purchased at the collection centre at the rate of Rs 50 a kg with the aim of reducing forest fire.
- This mission will be operated by the Pollution Control Board, for which a corpus fund of Rs 50 crore will be kept separately.
- The state chief minister said an effective plan should be made for collecting ‘Pirul’ (pine leaves) from forests.
- Wildfires continue to ravage various forest regions of Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand has recorded the highest number of large forest fires in the country in the last seven days since April 28, according to the Forest Survey of India (FSI) data.
- The escalating frequency of forest fires in Uttarakhand is attributed to a blend of natural phenomena and human activities.
- These forests, predominantly populated by highly flammable Chir Pine trees covering 3.94 lakh hectares, are highly inflammable and thus prone to fires.
- Additionally, prolonged dry spells across the Himalayas, coupled with factors like excess biomass, have contributed massively to this occurrence.
