TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Massive forest fires sweeping across the north Indian state of Uttarakhand have killed at least seven people in recent weeks, and were threatening two tiger reserves, local officials said on Monday, May 2, 2016.
The Indian government sent Air Force helicopters over the weekend to drop water on the blazes covering nearly 23 square kilometers of pine forests after firefighters failed to extinguish the fire for months.
Indian forest official Bhanu Prasad Gupta said that the fires threatened two major tiger reserves, the Corbett National Park and Rajaji National Park Bhanu Prasad Gupta. "We are struggling to bring the situation under control," Gupta said as quoted by the Associated Press on Monday, May 2, 2016.
Officials said the fires had been exacerbated by the year's dry weather, after two consecutive years of poor monsoon rains.
Indian Environment Minister Prakash Javdekar explained that authorities have detained four men for questioning under the suspicion that they started some fires in a bid to clear land for real estate development
"Not a single inch of forest land will be allowed to be encroached or diverted by anybody," Javdekar said Monday, May 2, 2016.
AP