NAWALPUR: The atmosphere in Nawalpur area is covered with smoke due to multiple fires at the various community forests in the area. Almost all areas in district are covered with smoke at present due to forest fires.
Information Officer Shiva Shrestha at Division Forest Office, Nawalpur, said fire has spread in around 2,000 hectares of forests in the district. He said the area under fire could increase as reports have been coming in of new bushfires in various community forests in the district.
Last year, forest fire had spread only in 600 hectares area. However, this year forest fire has spread in more than 2,000 hectares area within the second week of Chaitra alone.
According to Shrestha, a large number of forest fires broke out in the community forests along the highway area of Nawalpur. He said fire starts in the forest as people tend to throw burning cigarette butts in and around the highway area.
Similarly, it is found that people dissatisfied with the community forest users committees also start fire intentionally. Animal herders also start fire in the forest in the belief that burning a patch of forest land will help in the germination of better grass and foliage for animals.
Nawalpur has about 70 thousand 400 hectares of forest area.
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