FOREST FIRES IN NEPAL
Climate change is for real. While we’ve been hearing about it for many years, “Kathmanduites” have now experienced it first-hand. Last year, in September, Kathmandu Valley got half its annual average rainfall in 36 hours resulting in deadly floods. But, thereafter, there was not a single drop of rain. The dry forests (45% of Nepal’s landmass is forest cover) meant that smoke from forest fires raging all over the country reached Kathmandu twice. First in January and then in end March. The latter was the worst many of us have experienced – it was definitely the worst in my near five decades of living in Kathmandu. Above is a photo taken from the air showing smoke over Kathmandu.
CAUSES:
Forest fires are primarily caused by humans and/or natural factors.
Human activity: The primary cause for forest fires in Nepal in the Winter/Spring is fires started by shepherds. They burn dry plants in hopes that it will fertilize new growth which will in turn provide fodder for their livestock. Poachers and hunters too start fires to corner wild animals. Negligence, such as discarded cigarette butts and careless burning of dry vegetation, also contributes significantly
Natural causes: Following a dry spell, especially in the Spring, increased temperatures lead to drier vegetation making forests susceptible to wildfires. Dead leaves, twigs and wood provide ample fuel for fires.
Impact of the Forest fires:
Kathmandu is a valley surrounded by tall mountains. The winds blow the smoke into the bowl and remains trapped there until strong winds blow them away or rains wipe them. The Air Quality Index (AQI) measures the concentration of tiny particles in the air smaller than 2.5 microns. Kathmandu’s AQI hit 250 in end March and went up to 330 in early April. Many in the Kathmandu valley complained of dry and burning eyes, itchy throats, headaches, and dizziness.
If it weren’t for the rains which helped subside the wildfires and the smoke, our hospitals could have been overwhelmed. While the fires may not have impacted trekking, this year trekker numbers in the Everest region were 30% lower than last year. There were 1078 trekkers in March and 4,748 trekkers in April.
Nepal’s leaders have taken little action to help control forest fires. These fires not only threaten biodiversity but also undermine Nepal’s carbon trade benefits and its goal of becoming a net-zero carbon country by 2045.
