Fire Management Week kicks off today

KATHMANDU: The ‘Forest Fire Management Week’ has kicked off here with the slogan ‘Effectiveness in controlling forest fires: Participation of all three tiers of government and community’.

The Ministry of Forest and Environment has been celebrating the ‘Forest Fire Management Week’ from March 1 to 7 every year as per the Forest Fire Management Strategy-2067. The week is being observed by organizing various programmes to raise public awareness for the prevention and control of forest fires.

On the occasion, Minister for Forest and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain urged all the Division Forest Offices, Forest Users’ Groups, Development and Conservation Partners and the concerned stakeholders to conduct various awareness raising programmes at their respective work areas.

Awareness raising programmes, community and school-level orientation, publicity campaigns, monitoring of vulnerable areas, construction of fire lines in forest areas, sanitation and other appropriate fire management activities will be conducted on the occasion of the week.

Director General of the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation Dhirendra Kumar Pradhan said the risk of bushfires is high especially in the Sudurpaschim, Bagmati and Karnali provinces. He said the geographical distribution of bushfires indicates the high risk of forest in Tarai-Chure and mid-hill forests.

With the onset of dry season in Nepal, forest fires occur especially from February to May. The Department has stated that effective preparedness, coordination and public awareness enhancement is necessary for the prevention and control of forest resources, biodiversity, environmental balance, water resources, human health and human health as the bushfires are a serious negative impact.