Uttarakhand: Chamoli administration on high alert, helicopter deployed to control the fire in Nanda Devi forest.

Chamoli, 15 January. The district administration has been put on full alert after a forest fire broke out in the rocky area located between the Alaknanda and Lakshman Ganga rivers in the Govindghat range of Nanda Devi National Park in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. Along with this, in view of the inaccessibility of the area, a plan has been prepared for aerial reconnaissance and fire fighting using helicopters.

Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib completely safe

On the initiative of District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar, permission has been given for survey by helicopter. After the survey, DFO Sarvesh Dubey said that the Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib are completely safe.

Fire extinguishing work continues with the help of helicopter and drone monitoring

According to the Uttarakhand Information and Public Relations Department (DIPR), ground teams are working to extinguish the fire with the help of helicopters and monitoring drones. It was said on social media platform X that efforts are on to extinguish the forest fire in the Govindghat range of Nanda Devi National Park in Chamoli district. Also, helicopters and drones are being used for monitoring and surveying the affected area.

Air Force also took action to deal with the fire

Earlier on Thursday morning, the Indian Air Force (IAF) took action to deal with the forest fire in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve area of ​​Uttarakhand. According to the Central Air Command (CAC), an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter was deployed for fire-fighting operations in Joshimath on the request of the state government.

“@IAF_MCC responded swiftly to the forest fire in the Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve area of ​​Uttarakhand, once again demonstrating the operational readiness of the Indian Air Force,” the Indian Air Force’s CAC official X post said.

In fact, to meet the demand of the state government, Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter from the Central Air Command was deployed to extinguish the fire in Joshimath. This response once again highlighted the dual role of the Indian Air Force in defense and disaster relief.

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve is a spectacular wilderness area located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.

According to the official website of Uttarakhand, ‘Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, also known as Nanda Devi National Park, is a spectacular wilderness area located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas.’ Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve and Valley of Flowers, both included in the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List. This rugged and picturesque sanctuary, overseen by the Nanda Devi peak, is spread across three districts of Uttarakhand, namely Chamoli, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar.

As stated on the official website – There are two major areas, namely Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park. Adding to the beauty of these parks are the Alaknanda River and its tributaries, including the Rishi Ganga, Dhauli Ganga, Pushpavati and Khiro Ganga, which traverse the region. Apart from Nanda Devi, several peaks including Trishul, Dunagiri, Kalanka and Nanda Ghunti are also located in this sanctuary.

With exceptional biodiversity, the sanctuary supports important populations of globally threatened species, including snow leopard, Himalayan musk deer and a wide variety of flora. It is also home to the Asiatic black bear, Himalayan brown bear, bharal and Himalayan tahr. It is also a major bird watching area. Except for community ecotourism in small sections of these parks, this area serves as a control site for maintenance.