Image Source: TIMES NOW

As the country battles coronavirus pandemic and swarms of desert locusts, another major environmental tragedy has hit Uttarakhand. Forest fires have been raging in the state for almost four days now and there seems to be no respite for the firefighters. Making the matters worse is the heatwave in north India that put the region as the hottest on the planet on Tuesday. The heat is accelerating the forest fires and acres of green cover has been gutted so far. The super hot winds in the region have already been a bone of contention for a number of animals struggling hard to stay alive as sources of water dry up. The state has already registered a few COVID-19 cases and with the extended lockdown in place, authorities are being careful in the firefighting mission so as to not endanger the frontline workers or the locals. According to a report, a total of 46 forest fires have been reported from Uttarakhand and many hectares of forest have already been gutted. It was also reported that Kumaon region was among the worst-hit area with almost two dozen incidents of forest fires