Air services to the towns of Pithoragarh and Munsiyari in the border district remained suspended for the second consecutive day on Saturday due to poor visibility caused by smoke from forest fires around the Naini-Saini airport.
Officials stated that visibility around the airport and its vicinity remained below 1000 meters, whereas a minimum of 5000 meters is required for air operations.
Visibility dropped drastically
“Visibility in Saur valley where the airport is located has dropped drastically due to smoke being emitted by forest fires,” SDM Ashish Kumar Mishra said.
The dense smoke from the forests has obscured even the mountain peaks in both Pithoragarh and Munsiyari, Mishra added.
“Air passengers to Pithoragarh and Haldwani are disappointed due to cancellation of both the services. Efforts are on to douse the forest fires to clear the weather,” Mishra said.
The air service is operated by Fly Big company’s aircraft from Dehradun to Pithoragarh, while heli services are provided by Heritage Aviation company from Haldwani to Pithoragarh and Munsiyari.
Uttarakhand forest fires
Apart from Saur valley, forest fires are also raging in Quirala valley of Champawat and the forests of Lohaghat, Jhoolaghat, and Gaurihat.
“We had to take extra care in going towards Jhoolaghat from Gaurihat as the visibility on the 10-km-long road is so poor that no vehicle could be seen from beyond 10-meter distance due to smokes emitting from forest fires in surrounding jungles, ” said Vikram Singh Rawat, a tourist who had gone to Jhoolaghat.
According to medical officers in community and primary health centers across the district, there is an increase in the number of patients reporting difficulty in breathing and eye irritation.
“These problems are caused by smoke coming from the raging forest fires,” Jhoolaghat PHC in charge Harish Chandra Rawat said.
