To contain wildfire during the summer ahead, the Champawat forest division has set up as many as 53 crew stations across the district. Out of these, four crew stations have been set up in lohaghat, while as many as eight such stations have been set up in Champawat region, three in Kalikumaon, 10 in Bhingrada area, eight in Devidhura region, three in Dogaari and 17 in Boom range, officials of the Champawat forest department said. Each of these crew stations would be manned by five forest personnel, they said.
Side by side, seven watchtowers have also been installed at different locations across Champawat district to keep vigil on the wildfire related incidents. Since wildfire causes huge loss not just to the forests but also to the wildlife and environment, Champawat forest division has focused on community participation in this wildlife safety campaign to strengthen its wildfire safety mechanism. This is why Champawat forest department is launching this safety campaign in coordination with the local district police and Revenue department has also set up fire safety committees in villages which are nearby to the forests.
Meanwhile, to prevent forest fire, the district administration also directed the officials concerned of the District Forest department to raise awareness among the people about wildfire safety. At the same time, the administration has asked the Forest department to strictly deal with those who are found guilty of causing the wildfire. Besides, it has also stressed the need to intensify patrolling during this period so that any fire incidents could be prevented and forests could be saved from wildfire.