ISLAMABAD, April 6: Spring has just begun and real hot summer is weeks away. Yet, Margalla Hills saw two fires on Friday, affecting flora and fauna over a large tract in the national park area.
A source in the environment wing of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) confirmed the fire incidents near Daman-i-Koh and at Loh-i-Dandi above Bari Imam Shrine burned “a significant number of trees”.
But the civic agency downplayed the incidents, insisting it was well-prepared to control forest fires.
“We have not ascertained what caused the fires but our staff put them out quickly,” CDA spokesman Ramzan Sajid said. “No significant damage was caused by the fires. Only some bushes were burnt.”
Eruption of fires at Margalla Hills has become a regular phenomenon, especially in summer.
The spokesman said the fire at Loh-i-Dandi started at 2:15pm and was put out by the 60 forest guards by 4pm.
According to a study conducted by the CDA, over 100 fires break out at the Margalla Hills in every summer.
A World Bank study conducted in 2004 had revealed that there was no natural reason for the fires on the Margalla Hills and they all were manmade.
The study said the fires were caused by cooking on the hills, throwing of burning cigarette buds or matchsticks intentionally or unintentionally and to cover theft of timber.
It recommended that at least one helicopter should be allocated for regular watch and fire control in the area.
The source said some parts of Margalla Hills fell in the periphery of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the authorities were taking no steps to control frequent incidents of fire. The CDA and KP had chalked out a joint strategy a few years back to avoid fire incidents but without any success.
Another CDA official said some 26 unauthorised villages existed on the hilly area whose over 10,000 population survived on firewood. However, the CDA staff did not allow them to uproot even bushes from the forest.
“The clash of interests between the CDA staff and the villagers is one of the causes of fires because sometimes the villagers intentionally throw burning material into the bushes to create trouble for the civic body,” he added.