RAMECHHAP, APRIL 10
Timber worth millions was destroyed in the wildfire raging in different forests of Ramechhap for the last some days.
Forests protected by consumers for many years were destroyed after cowherders lit fire hoping that new grass would grow in the forest. Following the wildfire, many wild animals and medicinal herbs were also destroyed.
Consumers looked sad as the forests protected by them were destroyed. Bhaluwajor's Paleban that was protected by the consumers for the last 30 years was destroyed within a minute.
The villagers complained that around 30 hectares of forest land was destroyed in the wildfire. They said that jackals, deer, tiger and rabbits, among other wild animals and precious medicinal herbs, were also destroyed in the wildfire. The villagers further added that the wild animals had started to enter the human settlement after destruction of their natural habitats.
The villagers had reached the forests to douse the fire immediately after the fire spread in the forests.
Kasib Subedi of Manthali Municipality said consumers could do nothing to bring the fire under control. He added that the wind had also helped the fire to spread faster.
Villages in Ramechhap, Manthali, Pakarbas, Bhatauli, Gothgaun, Rampur, Phulasi, Sukajore, Himganga, Gelu, Chanakhu and Sukajore, among other human settlements, have been affected by the wildfire. The villagers said that the wildfire might spread to the villages at any time. Security personnel said that the fire could not be brought under control even though they were working hard.
A version of this article appears in the print on April 11 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
