DHANKUTA, APRIL 26
Two persons died and one was injured after a wildfire reached a human settlement in Dhankuta.
According to Dhankuta District Police Office, wildfires that had spread in most of the community forests took the lives of two persons, and destroyed 1,800 hectare forest area. The wildfires in the district were mainly triggered by the long drought.
As many as 26 houses, seven cowsheds and 84 livestock were destroyed in the blaze.
According to data, the district suffered the loss of Rs 1,50,00000 in the wildfire, said police. Nepali Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and locals were deployed in government and community forests to bring the fire under control.
Federation of Forest Consumer, Dhankuta, Chairman Nil Bahadur Thapa said that the wildfire had spread in 40 government and community forests. He said that wild animals, valuable wood and medicinal herbs among others worth Rs ten crore was also destroyed in the forest fire.
Thapa said that the incidents took place due to human activities also.
Similarly, hailstone has damaged vegetables and fruits, among other seasonal crops, worth Rs 48 crore in a local level in Dhankuta.
According to Agriculture Department of the rural municipality, hailstone had damaged crops in a few wards of the local level.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 27, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
