65-Year-old woman dies in Uttarakhand's raging forest fire

In the midst of raging forest fires in Uttarakhand, a 65-year-old woman lost her life on Sunday at AIIMS Rishikesh, where she was undergoing treatment for burn injuries sustained while attempting to douse a blaze that had encroached upon her farm in a village in Pauri tehsil. The unfortunate incident comes as forest department officials report 24 new incidents of forest fire within the state over the past 24 hours, affecting approximately 23.75 hectares of forest land.

While efforts to contain the fires continue, Director of the Meteorological Center in Dehradun, Bikram Singh, has forecasted the possibility of rain in the state from May 7-8, with intensification expected from May 11, offering a glimmer of hope for relief from the wildfires.In response to the escalating situation, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has directed Chief Secretary Radha Raturi to issue a week's notice to all district magistrates, emphasizing the need for regular monitoring of forest fires.

Additionally, the Chief Minister has urged district magistrates to implement a complete ban on the burning of fodder and solid waste in or near forests for the next week, while emphasizing the importance of protecting Uttarakhand's forest wealth, which has suffered greatly with 910 incidents of forest fires reported since November 1 last year, impacting approximately 1145 hectares of forest land.