Rapid Spread of Forest Fires: Over 1,800 wildfires in just three months

Wildfires have been spreading quickly across Nepal. Just yesterday, fires broke out in 52 different places. In Chitwan alone, there were fires in 10 places, according to the Nepal Forest Fire Management.

In the first week of April, fires were seen in 885 places across 62 districts. This year, the number of wildfires is even higher than last year. From January 1 to April 7 last year, 1,040 wildfires were recorded. But this year, during the same time, there have been 1,842 wildfires — which is 77% more.

Experts say that usually after a bad wildfire year, the next year should be better because there's less dry material (fuel) in the forests. But wildfires are still increasing every year, which is worrying.

This year, the winter was very dry and there was no rain in the pre-monsoon season. This made the forests even drier and helped fires spread more easily, said Dhananjaya Lamichhane from the Forest Department.

The government has not done much to stop the fires. Forest Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri even said in a public program that the government has no equipment to control fires and is just hoping for rain.

Also, as more people leave villages and land is left unused, dry wood and plants collect in the forests. This makes fires worse. Invasive plants (unwanted species) are also making the problem bigger.

More than 97% of wildfires in Nepal are caused by people. But the government has not been able to stop it. The fires are polluting the air and making it hard to breathe. They are also destroying plants, animals, and overall forest life.