A forest fire in the Shelani district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province has damaged more than 6.5 million trees.
According to a preliminary report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it will take about 100 years to repair the damage caused by the fire.
Yahya Musa Khel, local coordinator of FAO, told Urdu News that the initial report revealed that 45 to 55 square kilometers of forest area was engulfed in fire which damaged more than 6.5 million trees. ۔
“It will take 100 years to replant trees in this area and bring them to production level,” he said.
According to the previous report of FAO, in the year 2020 and 2021, six lakh 75 thousand metric tons of chilgoza was produced from these forests which gives an income of Rs.
According to the FAO, 75% of the country’s chickpea production comes from the Sherani forests.
According to the report, fire broke out at three different places in Sherani district on May 9, 12 and 16 which was brought under control on Thursday.
The fire will affect the production of chickpeas next year and further increase in prices is possible.
It may be recalled that the Forest Department has termed this forest fire as one of the worst fire incidents in the history of Balochistan and Pakistan.
The fire, which lasted for a week, has affected more than 10,000 acres of forest spread over an area of about 64,000 acres.
The fires at various places in Sherani district have burnt down thousands of olive and olive trees, affecting the livelihoods of hundreds of families.
According to Tahir Rashid, Regional Director, WWF Pakistan, an international organization working for the protection of wildlife, these forests are the backbone of the local economy. They cover their entire year’s expenses with the chickpea crop. The fire will have a profound effect on the lives of the locals, adding to the poverty and hardship of the people of the area.
In the second week of May, a fire broke out at Torgarh Dana Sar in the northern district of Sherani in Balochistan adjoining Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, affecting 22 to 25 sq km of the Chilgoze forest. The fire was brought under control on May 18, while another fire broke out on May 13 in the Zamri area of Musa Khel, which was brought under control three days later.
Forest department officials said that in all three cases, the fire had spread from Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to the borders of Balochistan. The fire in Musa Khel was started by lightning while the cause of the fire in both the incidents in Sherani is yet to be ascertained.